Scarlet Encounters
by Bluesoap
Summary: Getting stranded on a small boat at sea wasn't Rangiku's cup of tea, but she may not have survived the shipwreck in the first place if not for Momo. Meeting her friend had also brought her across him – another person from her past. "We're pirates – not a charity organisation." "Says the guy who fished out two girls from the sharks."
1. Prologue

A/N: Finally it is here! My new story that I announced in 'Identity'. As I've said, this story is somewhat of a prequel and yet a sequel to it, but I think that it can be read alone. The timeline of this story is set prior to 'Identity'. Big thanks to Blacksilo for being my beta and editing my story! (The M rating is for the language and fighting in the later chapters.)

Disclaimer for the whole story: I don't own Bleach or anything, just my ideas.

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Prologue

Rangiku awoke to the loud noises of a brawl downstairs, the inn she was currently resting in had very cheap prices. There was no actually problem with any price for her but it had become a habit for her to conserve money. She sometimes still had the urge to spend money on her whims but managed to restrain herself most of the times, as for the other times… They are better left to imagination.

Several bangs vibrated through the walls and Rangiku tiredly got up.

[What's going on…?] Rangiku hazily thought.

The crew she was with had just finished a raid the other day and was enjoying their short vacation here in Rukongai. She had gotten back to the inn very late after her shipmates had dragged her off to a bar.

Getting on a ship was pretty hard for women and the seamen were not always keen on hiring their female counterpart because it might bring disaster to the crew. Though there were several ships that did not adopt such policy these were more of the rare kind.

However for Rangiku, it was not too hard to get by; her figure did quite a bit of the job and her skills contributed to her reputation as well. 'Scarlet Goddess' as she was called. Why? Simply because she made men turn their heads when she passed by and cause their noses to bleed when she walked up to them. Large breasts and a curvaceous body – her alluring figure was even more accentuated by her dressing skills – it made it very hard for men not to fall for her. There were several times where she had been almost raped, had she not the strength to fight them off. Nowadays, men knew to keep their distance from the beauty and to not offend her.

Now after tiring herself out, Rangiku decided that she should be able to sleep as much as she wanted this time. She didn't want to sleep at the ship where the crew was going crazy and asked the captain to go ashore to sleep at an inn. She hadn't expected being woken up by the ruckus downstairs. Of course she could not complain since it was already past noon outside but she was still ticked off at the disturbance. She shook her head to free her sleep clouded mind and grabbed her stuff before walking out of her room to descend the stairs.

[There goes my beauty sleep…] Rangiku inwardly groaned.

Curiosity won her over in the end. She wanted to check out what was going on and –if needed– smack some sense into the people causing it. As the dining hall entered her view, what she witnessed surprised her in more ways than one. She halted her descent.

Below were a group of men going at a young woman with short black hair. The girl simply whipped out her sword's hilt and knocked the men down to the floor. She was being merciful by not slicing off their necks instead. Graceful swings brought down six men to the floor – unconscious – within a short span of time. But that was not the only thing that surprised Rangiku. To be more exact, it was the girl's face that surprised her. It seemed so unusually familiar. Rangiku trembled slightly as a name appeared in her mind.

"Momo…?" she uttered the name in a half-calling-out-way.

The young lady's head turned into Rangiku's direction.

"How do you know my name?" the girl scrunched her eyebrows together in thought, "Wait a second…"

Rangiku waited for the girl's response as she herself was not sure of the girl's identity. Suddenly the black haired girl's eyes brightened up.

"Rangiku…? Is that really you, Rangiku?!" the girl's voice jumped a pitch higher as she repeated Rangiku's name with joy.

Recognition spread in her eyes as a wide grin appears on her face before she stepped towards the stairs.

"My goodness, Momo!" Rangiku also beamed and rushed down the stairs to give the black haired girl a tight hug.

"Oh my god, Rangiku! I didn't expect to see you here of all places!" Momo cried out with glee as tears started to fall from her eyes.

"Shhh… Don't cry," Rangiku stroked Momo's head while holding back her own tears.

She let go of Momo and suggested, "Let's go my room and talk it out, 'kay?"

Momo nodded and followed the big busted girl.

#####

"I didn't expect to meet you here of all places," Momo shook her head as she wiped away her tears.

"I could say the same," hearing this caused Rangiku to giggle.

"Ah, I really miss the times we hung out together. I'm so happy to see you again," Momo sighed as she relived those memories in her mind.

"Yeah," Rangiku agreed, "Remember the time when we went shopping and saw that gorgeous dress? You stumbled after gawking at it and that _super_ handsome guy caught you?"

Momo blushed at the memory.

"_Rangiku_! Stop that! That was a long time ago! We never got to know who he was and don't you have _him_ already?"

Rangiku fell silent after that.

"Ah, I-I really sorry! I didn't mean to – I mean forget about it! I didn't say anything and you don't have to answer anything!" Momo panicked while seeing her old friend's smile and shoulders drop.

"It's fine," Rangiku reassured Momo, though she was saying it more to herself, "I haven't seen him for so long already….. I'm pretty sure that he has a girl already."

Rangiku's right hand wandered to her chest where a ring hanged upon on a golden necklace. She touched it, trailing her fingers along the round shape before letting go.

"But you've probably have it harder than me, huh?" Rangiku suddenly looked up, "You've been waiting and he hasn't been found after all this time. He was – no – _is_ your first love, right?"

Sadness also entered Momo's eyes but turned into hope as she answered, "…There have been rumours about him reappearing again. Do you remember Prince Hyorinmaru?"

Rangiku thought about it for a moment before responding.

"Not really. His disappearance was a long time ago. I only met him a couple of times during the balls and dinners the adults held," Rangiku said and then something clicked in her mind, "Don't tell me that yer lookin for _him_?"

Momo nodded shyly at her old friend's question whose eyes widened in return.

[Right on the spot, eh?] Rangiku inwardly sighed.

"So who's the guy who looks like him?"

"The Captain of the Ice Ring."

"The Captain of the Ice Ring… Hmm. Well, the description may fit, but since I don't remember very well…." Rangiku nodded slowly as she spoke.

A short interval appeared in their conversation until Rangiku finished her musings.

"Fair 'nough," she stated, "How long?"

"How long?" Momo echoed.

"How long have you been doing this?"

Momo counted the days in her head.

"Two months."

"How much have you gathered?"

"Not much. They seem to zig zag over the sailing charts however they like."

"Right, they're pretty hard to catch or get a hold of. Suddenly they're here but the next thing ye know is 'poof' they're gone."

Rangiku nodded again and folded her arms together.

"Lemme help you out."

"Huh?" Momo dumbly replied, "How can _you_ help me out?"

"I'm a pirate."

"What?!"

"That's why I said that I want t' help you out. I know that when my family was about to get slaughtered, your family helped us out. I know that you begged your parents to help us out. Your father told me. We were able to safely get away only 'cause o' you, so I want to return the favour."

"Eh?! It was supposed to be a secret!" Momo was shocked and whined, "Dad~!"

"No complainin' about it now darling," Rangiku patted her friend's hair who sulked.

"You know Rangiku, at first I didn't recognize you at all. You've changed so much, so why do I still look like this?!" Momo grumbled.

"Woah there, girl. Don't go all frustrated on me," Rangiku laughed.

"You are taller and you have a beautiful figure now! How many cups larger is that?!", Momo didn't stop criticising her glamorous strawberry-blonde friend who was starting to feel cornered, "The only thing that didn't change so much is your face and hair length!"

"Oh come on, Momo," Rangiku sighed, "You've changed as well. You've grown taller since I last saw you. Your hair's shorter. You're prettier. Your cup size… grew–"

"I heard that pause!"

"–and you have a beautiful body proportion for your height! You look like a doll! I really want to cuddle you!"

Rangiku pulled the younger girl into a tight embrace.

"Wah! Stop it!"

Momo couldn't shake Rangiku off and felt her whole body sway violently to the tall girl's turns – left and right.

When Rangiku let go, Momo fell back on the bed, exhausted and almost suffocated.

"Your bubbly personality did not change though. I'm glad," Momo gave a soft smile which her best friend returned.

"Have you eaten already?" Rangiku asked after a while.

"No."

"Wanna go grab lunch?" Rangiku suggests and stands up.

"Sure."

#####

"Ye know that you need t' get famous to have people's attention on you. Tis the basics," Rangiku lectured as she ate her potatoes, eggs and meat, "The Ice Ring's crew consists of only the best, I've heard. The captain seems to value quality."

Momo honestly nodded along and absorbed every bit of information as she ate her soup with bread.

"Are you famous, Rangiku?" Momo interrupted her friend.

"People call me Scarlet Goddess."

"...I can imagine why…"

"Now don't get depressed on me again Momo!"

"I got it, I got it," Momo replied weakly.

"…"

"…"

Thinking of something, Rangiku breaks the silence.

"Hey…" she says.

"Hm~?"

"Wanna team up with me?"

"Team up?"

"Yeah, team up as in becoming partners. You can get more famous that way. I've been building up my reputation for _years_."

Rangiku puts her hand on her chest proudly.

"Hmm," Momo sunk into deep thought as she contemplated her friend's offer.

It was unexpected help for the black haired young woman who had plunged into the dark side of the world head first. Although she had training in things like dealing with thugs or resist being swept up in the pace of others, and learnt all she could about seamanship and seafarers, still, her experience did not amount to much.

"Hey Momo, what were you doing before this?" Rangiku asked as the question suddenly popped up in her mind.

"I was a knight," Momo automatically answered.

"What?!", Rangiku shouted out in surprise and immediately lowered her voice before speaking again, "That job's tough. If you had to go through the hellish training I've only heard of, then you are more than prepared to face the stuff here, but given your past… I guess it isn't too new to you, is it?"

Momo gave a bitter laugh. Being a knight involved killing upon orders or giving the order to kill. A 'Knight' was an honorary title given to militarily accomplished soldiers on mounts. Compared to your average soldier of the kingdom, a knight had to be superior in the art of the sword and riding. They had to be proficient with lances and shields as well as have the ability to command and construct plans to bring victory. In addition, high class conduct and language were a must. The biggest part of it was still killing for your beliefs – killing without hesitation.

"Something like that may not be new but it's not something you get used to – just something that you learn to shut out."

"I guess you're right," Rangiku sighed as she thought of herself.

[It's not like I didn't go through that stuff as well… Killing people, huh? In this world you can't live without tainting your hands.]

A gloomy silence descended upon the two women as they finished up their lunch.

#####

Rangiku and Momo did not leave the dining hall and instead talked about what they missed out on after the separation. They made sure to keep their voices low but talked joyously anyway. While they were getting a little heated in their past exchange, Rangiku stopped suddenly. She finally noticed the surrounding people's whispers as she caught her name in one of the conversations.

[What are they saying?]

Rangiku decided to listen more intently while urging Momo to keep talking because she had stopped to give her an inquisitive look. Momo immediately caught onto what Rangiku was trying and continued to talk about random things.

"… might be a friend of hers, ye know?"

"Me thinks so too, but I've never seen Scarlet with 'er before."

"Ain't that the Ruby lass? That clip's it, right?"

"Tis a joke, surely–"

"Oh shut up! Who cares about that? S'it her or not?"

Rangiku heard snippets of conversations here and there, but she got the gist of it.

[At least it isn't about the police arriving.]

"D'you have a nickname as well?" Rangiku asked as she finally turned her attention back to Momo, "I mean, like how I get called Scarlet Goddess."

Momo realized that there was no need to worry from Rangiku's relaxed appearance.

"A shipmate called me Ruby Princess when I decided to get sword embedded with a ruby because it matched my ruby clip," Momo answered as she pointed to her hair clip keeping the hair from the left side away.

"Ruby Princess?"

Momo frowned a little as her friend said her nickname.

"What's wrong?" Rangiku was curious about Momo's reaction.

"It should not be like this, but the 'Princess'-part really tenses me up. I feel like I have just been discovered. It unnerves me."

A helpless smile wandered onto her face as she answered the question.

"Hmm…"

Rangiku decided move on to something different. After a while, she muttered, "Ruby and Scarlet..."

Momo's ears perked up at Rangiku's words who seemed to be pondering over something.

An idea popped into her head and the younger girl joked, "We should call each other Scarlet and Ruby as nicknames."

Momo did not expect an immediate reply from her friend.

"You're right, why not – but people already call me Scarlet too."

Momo's laugh halted, she didn't think that Rangiku would actually take it seriously.

"We might as well call each other that – since you need to keep your identity secret, right?" Rangiku raised an eyebrow.

Momo smirked, "Well, you won't let me call you 'Ran' because that's _his_ privilege."

Rangiku's cheeks held a slight tinge of red as she huffed: "I don't recall saying that."

"If you say so~" the black haired girl tilted her head as she feigned accepting the other girl's answer.

"Momo!"

"Right, that's my name."

Rangiku pouted but before she could say anything more, because a voice interrupted them.

"Scarlet."

Rangiku recognized that voice.

"Captain Tousen!" Rangiku turned around to face the dark skinned man.

Momo curiously turned her head as well to see the person calling Rangiku.

"Have a seat," Rangiku offered and Captain Tousen sat down on the third chair between Rangiku and Momo, "What brings you here?"

"Jus felt like comin' ashore since there's none on deck," he answered and gestured towards Momo, "And who's this young lady?"

Rangiku's eyes wandered to Momo.

[How do I introduce Momo?]

As if understanding, Momo gave a slight shake of her head.

[I see.]

"Captain Tousen. Let me introduce you to an ol' friend of mine," Rangiku started, "This is Ruby. The one people call Ruby Princess."

"Ruby Princess… The girl from Kurosaki's ship? I see," the black haired man nodded his head.

"Do you know Captain Kurosaki?", Momo asked.

"He _is_ a famous person but as a persons – not too much. I recently met him though an' he told me 'bout yer fearlessness and dangerous swords."

"I am not that praiseworthy Captain."

"Don't humble yerself Miss."

The dark skinned man gave a slight shake of the head to emphasize his words.

"Captain Tousen," Rangiku said to get the attention back, "Could you take her up on yer ship? She's alone right now."

"Hmm," the captain thought about it, "Well, I guess I can if ye can vouch for her?"

"I am confident in her skills Cap'n."

Captain Tousen looked towards Momo and she nodded for confirmation.

"Then welcome aboard the Benihiko."

* * *

A/N: I hope you liked it. I will probably put up a chapter each week, but I can't guarantee it. Feel free to give your thoughts on this chapter.


	2. Chapter One

A/N: Finally Chapter One is here! I thank everyone who reads my story and I thank Blacksilo again for editing it. Feel free to give any opinions after reading. Now, enjoy!

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Chapter One

Captain Tousen spotted the only two women of his crew slashing away at the soldiers defending the ship they boarded. It didn't take long for the crew of Benihiko to secure the passenger ship and start demanding for its valuables.

Tousen stepped up to the group of people huddling at the centre of the deck.

"Out with all yer goods or we'll whip yer backs red until ye do!" he threatened.

The scared travellers hurriedly brought out their gold and money while the pirates collected it. Meanwhile the captain of the Benihiko turned to the two women near him with a large smile.

"How are me Crimson Blades doin'? Ye were excellent t'day!"

"Captain, just call us Scarlet and Ruby like you always do. Why Crimson Blades when in front of others?" Momo rolled her eyes at her captain's newfound name for the duo.

"But Scarlet and Ruby are variations o' red, so why not crimson? Tis much fitting for ye ladies adept at killin'."

Momo sighed and Rangiku just smiled while saying, "Thanks for the compliment Captain Tousen."

They each grabbed a bag and filled it up with the stolen goods and carried it back to their ship, leaving earlier than the others.

"That nickname is seriously annoying me," Momo muttered.

"Relax Ruby, this is helpin' you, ye know? Get famous for yer skills and people will search you out," Rangiku patted her friend's shoulder.

"…I know…"

On the ship, Rangiku and Momo returned to the room they both shared over the past few weeks. Rangiku threw herself on the bed while Momo gently sat down on hers and checked her equipment.

Since Rangiku was the only female on board and had a cabin to herself, Momo naturally became her roommate. The men became a rowdy bunch when they first heard Momo would join them but behaved themselves when Rangiku appeared. The sexy beauty was a desired, yet feared existence. She was the quartermaster of the ship. As time passed, they also got used to the Ruby Princess and became more comfortable around her.

#####

It happened a month later when they came across another pirate ship while plundering a merchant vessel. The enemy ship was large and in no time at all, the Benihiko burst from the cannon balls and Captain Tousen's ship sunk.

"Rangiku, hurry up! We need to get a dinghy before the Benihiko sinks!" Momo called out to the strawberry blonde woman staring at the retreating enemy ship.

Momo became impatient and started dragging her friend to an untouched boat she found. She pushed Rangiku into it and hopped on herself before slowly letting the boat down. Once it touched the water, Momo grabbed the oars and started rowing like mad to get away from the ship. Rangiku was still frozen behind her from shock.

Only once Momo determined that they were far enough, did she relax and stop rowing.

"Fuck those bastards!" Rangiku yelled at the top of her lungs at the retreating vessel once she recovered.

"Calm down Scarlet," Momo tried to convince her partner to think calmly again.

"They could've at least left our ship partly intact Ruby!" Rangiku's head whipped around in protest.

Momo sighed, "At least we secured a boat while most of the crew got slaughtered or drowned or are drifting around somewhere right now. I am happy enough that we didn't sink with the current of the ship."

"We're shipwrecked Momo!" Rangiku objected with frustration.

"I'm pretty pissed off as well Rangiku," Momo's tone hardened as she let her anger slip into her voice.

Rangiku closed her mouth. She knew better than to anger her friend.

[Even though Momo was always the calmer person between us two – I know I changed as well, but when I'm with her, my own level-headedness disappears. I revert back to my old self.]

They didn't talk for an hour after that and instead started rowing to get somewhere. The sun shone mercilessly upon them as their thirst made itself known.

"Ugh… why did our ship have to get sunk in the middle of nowhere?" Momo complained.

She was lying on her stomach and gazing over the boat rim into the deep blue water. They had stopped rowing after a while, since it only drained their energy.

"Not t' mentions that we don't have _water_ _or_ _food_," Rangiku added, "I'm getting thirsty an' the sun's being a real bitch today. Why today of all days?!"

The furious woman had also laid down in the meantime and her arm hung loosely over her face to shield it from the intensive sun rays. Bored with having to do nothing while the heat built up on her head, Momo sat up and looked around for any sign of land. However, all she could see was the azure water of the ocean.

Momo sighed at the hopeless situation.

"Either we'll dehydrate or jump into the water and let the sharks get us," she concluded.

"Stop talking bull girl. We'll somehow make it. I ain't given up yet," Rangiku optimistically said and got up as well.

"Maybe you are right," Momo smiled at the strawberry blonde.

Three hours later…

"I give up‼" Rangiku cried out, "I want to _drink_ something! This damned saltwater! This damned sun!"

Momo didn't have any energy to reply and just ignored Rangiku's outburst.

Six hours later….

"It's cold!", Rangiku shivered and rubbed her exposed arms.

"We are too lightly clothed Rangiku," Momo's body also trembled with each night breeze.

"At least yer wearin a shirt! Yer arms are covered – mine are bare!"

Momo sighed and Rangiku sighed with her.

[How are we gonna survive this?]

Two days later…

Rangiku woke up from a violent shaking.

"What is it, Momo?" she grumbled and rubbed her eyes.

"A ship! Rangiku, it's a ship!" Momo replied excitedly while pointing behind Rangiku.

"Huh?" Rangiku barely comprehended the dark haired girl and followed the pointing arm's length.

When she saw the ship, she thought that she must have been dreaming and rubbed her eyes for good measure again. When the picture of the ship did not disappear, she allowed herself to also believe and hoped swelled up.

"Oh my god, it's a ship!" Rangiku squealed and hopped on her seat.

"Wah! S-stop Rangiku!" Momo cried out in fear as the small boat shook dangerously.

Rangiku also noticed the sway caused by her and immediately kept still until the boat stabilized.

Once it did, Rangiku immediately turned towards Momo, "Start rowing!"

Momo didn't answer and immediately grabbed the oars and the women rowed like crazy. Unfortunately for them, the passing ship was getting further and further away from them. Exhausted, Rangiku and Momo halted their actions.

"We need to get their attention on us!" Rangiku gritted her teeth in frustration

"Sure, but _how_?" Momo replied sarcastically.

She obviously knew that herself and definitely did not need it pointed out.

Rangiku thought about it for a moment, "How 'bout we scream?"

Momo shook her head, "Our voices won't reach that far."

"Just waving 'round won't help. Their lookout mightn't be doing his job."

"Right."

"Then what do we've got us?"

"We have our weapons and clothes. Nothing else."

[Weapons and clothes….]

"…"

"…"

[Weapons….]

"I think I've got it!", Rangiku suddenly yelled, surprising Momo.

With an enquiring gaze, Momo looked at the blonde woman.

"Give me your gun," Rangiku requested and Momo wordlessly gave it to her.

Rangiku examined the pistol before pulling the trigger without another word. A loud gunshot rang out from the gun pointed at the sky. Momo cried out in shock and Rangiku closed her eyes from the recoil.

"Rangiku! Why didn't you tell me that you were going to shoot the gun?!" Momo protested as she held her ears.

"I thought you understood when you gave it t' me!" Rangiku retorted and returned the gun.

She immediately jumped up and started waving towards the ship in the distance.

"Come on Momo!" she urged her friend to do the same.

Momo reluctantly stood up and waved her arms at the ship, hoping that they would notice them. Just as when it seemed that the ship might turn away from them, it's body changed direction.

"Oh my god, they've seen us. They're comin'!", Rangiku exclaimed excitedly.

Her smile widened and she impulsively hugged Momo. Momo, caught up in the tall girl's pace, hugged back and squealed in delight.

#####

Rangiku and Momo sat on a box in the middle of the deck, surrounded by a bunch of seamen. Their previous smiles had faded from their faces.

"It's a fucking pirate ship!" Rangiku spat out dissatisfied to her partner.

"If they are one of those no-good ones…" Momo felt disillusioned.

Rangiku took her best friend's hand and clasped it tightly, "Let's just hope for the best."

Momo agreed, though she was filled with unease.

Their exchange went unnoticed by the surrounding men who made space to let a tall man through.

"Heya girls, whatcha doing all 'lone on tha wide sea?" the man greeted the duo with a wide mocking grin.

His face was casted in shadows by the hat he wore. He placed his hands on his hips as he waited for a response, but none came.

"Ahaha, I guess I should introduce mahself first," the tall man laughed.

He took off his hat and silver hair dangled out as he gave a bow.

"Mah name's Captain Gin Ichimaru," he presented himself with an unchanging mocking smile on his face and plopped his hat on his head again. "Welcome aboard the Ashen Spear."

Rangiku gasped and Momo wiped all emotions from her face. Confusion spread on Rangiku's face.

[W-what is _he_ doing here?! Shouldn't he be on a journey…? Wait… pirating involves journeying… is this what he meant that time?]

Meanwhile Momo's face had become slightly pale as fear coursed through her veins – the fear of being exposed.

"Gin…" Rangiku whispered.

"That's right," the man nodded.

"…Ichimaru?" Rangiku finished saying the name uncertainly.

[This man is obviously him, but that name… Ichimaru? I've never heard it before. An alias?]

Beside Rangiku, Momo shivered when she heard the name but managed to calm down after a while. Rangiku had not noticed until a moment ago.

[I wonder what's wrong with Momo. I'll ask her later.]

"May I ask," Momo finally spoke up, "Why did you rescue us?"

The man who named himself Gin chuckled at the question:

"Ta get ya valuables of course."

Momo frowned at the answer as did Rangiku.

"We don't have much on us," Rangiku scoffed, "Why pull us on board when you could've just pulled us up and taken our stuff and left us there again?"

"That's _my_ decision to make – not yours."

"Then _are_ you going t' send us back t' the kingdom?"

"We're pirates – not a charity organisation."

"Says the guy who fished out two girls from the sharks," Rangiku couldn't help but retort at the shameless remark.

The grin on the man's face stayed the same but he stepped forward and grabbed Rangiku's chin, lifting it up to him. Rangiku was forced to look at him and she frowned. The man's eyes had stayed as slits the whole time. Even now Rangiku couldn't make his iris' colour out. His attitude had riled her up.

[This isn't Gin.]

"Now listen' up wench," he calmly spoke but his tone had become low, "I ain't gonna spend mah free time arguing with ya landlubbers, so ya better listin' to what I say. Ya bring out all yer belongings and we'll let ya go, how 'bout it?"

Rangiku wrenched Gin's hand away from her face as she snarled back at him, "I ain't no landlubber! Imma pirate ye goddamn bilge rat!"

Momo pulled back her seething friend before she could get up and punch the silver haired man in the face. There was a split second when the smile faltered from Gin's face but Momo didn't see it while Rangiku did.

"Pirates, eh? Never thought ta meet our brethren here," he said and stepped back.

He turned around and ordered his men, "Give them a room and leave them alone."

Rangiku was astonished.

[Did he change his mind?]

"I've got some plans fer them later," he remarked before disappearing between the crowd.

[Or not.]

#####

Dinner was brought to Rangiku and Momo in the cabin room where they were held captive; the two waited until the boy who brought them their food closed the door before daring to speak.

"It looks like we're off the hook for now," Rangiku muttered.

"We need to be prepared for the worst. What a dilemma," Momo sighed.

"Ye know, sighing too often will shorten yer life," Rangiku joked as she grabbed her food plate and began eating.

Momo did the same and retorted, "Says the right one."

"Hey!"

A knocking on the door interrupted their conversation. The door opened before they said anything. It was Captain Ichimaru.

"Heya Ladies, I hope I ain't disturbing ya," he lightly spoke and entered the small room. The door closed behind him and he leaned against it.

Rangiku and Momo kept quiet and ate their food instead of answering.

"Defiance ain't gonna getcha anywhere," the young man chuckled.

"That is not for you to decide," Momo stated fearlessly.

"Young Lady, ya should be careful with yer tongue before I slit it into two like a snake's."

"Are you not the real snake here?" Momo muttered which Gin heard but decided to overlook.

He had a lot of patience, so he could deal with a snide remark or two easily. On the other hand, Momo paid no attention to the threat and kept eating the soup and bread she had gotten.

"Were ye marooned? Looking at ya, it could be possible," Gin probed for more information by riling up the girls.

Rangiku who couldn't stand the mockery whipped her head around and glared at Gin.

"We're _not_ _marooned_!" she hissed.

Gin didn't react to her answer and went on.

"So yer pirates ya said?" he ignored the look Rangiku gave and gestured with his head to Momo, "Tha short lass 'ere talks awfully proper for that."

"We're pirates alright. We got shipwrecked. Floated 'round 'till ye found us," Rangiku reluctantly explained, not wanting to be looked upon any further.

The silver haired man nodded, "So what's yer names?"

Rangiku exasperated refused to answer. Instead Momo told him their names, "I am Ruby and this is Scarlet."

Gin nodded again as acknowledgement of the information, but fell silent after that. The silence didn't bother the women who were finishing up their food.

"Yer not coincident'ly the Crimson Blades, are ya?" the Ashen Spear's captain asked after a while.

"And what if we are?" Momo snapped.

"Hmm, then that's good," Gin answered after touching his chin with his fingers.

He then left the room without another word while leaving behind to very confused girls pertaining to what he last said.


	3. Chapter Two

A/N: Hi everyone, here is chapter 2! Thank you to everyone who reads this and to Blacksilo for beta-ing! Having no reviews makes me a little nervous, but I hope that the readers are enjoying this story.

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Chapter Two

Captain Ichimaru was sitting at his desk in his quarters when he heard knocking sounds from the door.

"Enter," he said and the door opened.

Two beauties stepped inside. One was a tall woman with dark blonde hair that reached past her shoulders and a voluptuous body that would draw any men's eyes towards it. Her clothes left a large part of the chest open to view the cleavage and her brown shorts left parts of her skin bare until her knee length boots. It made her outfit seem seductive, yet careless. The other was a black haired girl whose height just reached past the shoulders of the first. Her hair barely touched her shoulders and the left side was held back by a ruby decorated gold clip. Her red attire was worn properly with long sleeves and black trousers tucked in her boots.

Gin Ichimaru could see why each was called by the nicknames of 'Scarlet Goddess' and 'Ruby Princess' respectively.

"Have a seat," Gin pointed towards the two empty chairs opposite him.

Scarlet, as she called herself, confidently strode towards the indicated chairs and sat down with a 'humph' on the left chair. Meanwhile Ruby silently followed and gently seated herself on the right chair. Gin's smirking smile stayed the same as always as he addressed the women:

"How was ya night? I hope the beds were as comfortable as the ones you had before."

[This man… is obviously thinking that we were some kind of prostitutes.] Rangiku was boiling inwardly.

Something warm touched her clenched hands and Rangiku noticed Momo's shake of the head.

"It was not much different from our cabin back at the Benihiko," Momo calmly replied.

"Is that right? Tis good ta hear," Gin leaned back in his chair.

Momo's lips pressed together and she slowly breathed in and out. The silver haired captain's ever so slightly mocking actions was also starting to affect her.

"What positions did ya have there?"

"Quartermaster and mate to the sailing master," Momo answered while first pointing to Rangiku and then herself.

"Quartermaster, eh?" Gin mumbled.

Rangiku wondered why he specifically picked that word. She didn't have to wait long for the answer. After propping his elbow on the table, lightly resting his chin on his fingers and staring at the two girls long enough until they felt uncomfortable, Gin finally opened his mouth. Rangiku thought to have seen his smirk grow wider by a tiny bit.

[There's no way. I must be seeing things.]

"Ya see," he started, "We really need an proper quartermaster. Maybe ya can do tha job? I'll ask fer a trial period?"

"Can ye just decide things on that?" Rangiku inquired.

[This is too sudden. Didn't he just try to kill us yesterday?] Rangiku thought sceptically.

"On this ship, strength is everything," Gin clarified, "Plus, Karin can't handle all that stuffs alone. She's jus here fer an apprenticeship since her brother asked me."

"Karin?" Rangiku echoed, "You mean _the_ Karin _Kurosaki_?"

Gin nodded.

"T' think you had connection with 'em…"

"Tis just an event in tha past that led us together", Gin offhandedly explained, "We just set out ta raid, so we ain't gonna return fer a while an' I can't have ya sitting around like ducks doing nothin' on this ship."

Beside Rangiku who was thinking of what to retort, Momo nodded in understanding.

"Fine, Scarlet can do it, right?" Momo nudged her friend in the ribs.

"Y-yeah," Rangiku flinched upon touch and hurriedly agreed.

[What is Momo planning?]

"What shall be my work?" Momo further enquired.

"Our sailing master doesn't have a mate yet so why don't cha do what ya used ta do? We'll let ya off once we reach harbour again."

"… Deal," Momo dipped her head once in acknowledgement and shook the outstretched hand of her new captain.

On the other side, Rangiku was flabbergasted at Momo's actions while she just went with the flow.

[We're going to have a nice long talk later Momo….] A dangerous thought flashed through Rangiku's head.

#####

"What were you thinking Ruby?!" Rangiku burst out the minute they had their new room to themselves.

"I was ensuring our survival _Scarlet_," Momo grit her teeth together, "if I had not, then he might have just thrown us off board again – this time with no boat. Did you see the glint in his eyes? That guy's not right in the mind."

Rangiku felt a twinge of pain when Momo badmouthed Gin.

[Do I still think that he might be _him_ afterall? For all I know is that he grins the same way although this one's is a lot more sarcastic and disdainful. He is also called Gin and he's got silver hair. If I could just see his eyes, then I could be certain.]

Lost in her own thoughts, Rangiku didn't notice Momo realizing that she wasn't listening anymore.

"What's wrong?"

Rangiku didn't immediately answer Momo's question.

"Hey…" she said after a while, "D'ye think our captain is who I think it could be?"

Momo immediately caught onto what her best friend was trying to say.

"Yes," came the definite answer, "That polite yet taunting demeanour… I say that it's him."

"So you think like that," Rangiku sighed. [He wasn't like that with me though…?]

"Anyway, we need to be careful to not let our identities slip. Who know what he might do then."

"Alright," Rangiku consented.

#####

There were altogether four females on the ship. With the new addition of Rangiku and Momo, the number rose to six. The first woman the duo met was the sailing master whose mate was going to be Momo.

"Morrow mate. Call me Nemu. I'm the sailing master of this ship," a tall black haired young woman greeted Rangiku and Momo.

"Good day to you as well. My name is Ruby. I have been assigned as your mate," Momo gave a small bow.

"I hope that our teamwork'll be good. And this is?" Nemu gestured towards Rangiku.

"I'm Scarlet. Gonna be a temporary quartermaster for now."

"Provisional?"

"Aye."

Rangiku briefly explained the events leading up to it and Nemu nodded after comprehending the situation.

"Well I hope that ye can get along with the crew. The men here may be complete battle freaks and rude – plus they're muscle heads – but they aren't so bad that you'd want t' kill them every second. They aren't very interested in the opposite sex and treat everyone equally, though the brainless part gave the Cap'n troubles finding a new quartermaster."

"I see why Captain Ichimaru made that deal and why there are no qualms about having females on board," Momo commented after remembering the discrimination against her gender regarding pirates.

"Aye, tis one of the more liberal ships, you may say," Nemu asserted.

"Tis good mate," Rangiku agreed, "If not, we'd have been on the way to hell by now."

"There're three others on this ship. Doctor Unohana, the master gunner Soifon and her mate Karin", Nemu informed, "You'll meet them soon."

Rangiku and Momo appreciated the information.

"Shall we go then?" Nemu asked Momo who nodded and bid goodbye to Rangiku.

After seeing the two women leave, Rangiku went under deck to the kitchen, feeling somewhat thirsty. The smell of cooking food drifted over to Rangiku's nose as she neared the kitchen area. The door was open, so she just entered. On the opposite side was a man facing the wall and stirring a large pot. He had short silver-greyish hair.

[Is that soup? Is that what we'll have for lunch?] Rangiku wondered.

She sat down on one of the chairs facing the counter and called out, "'Scuse me, but do you have some water here?"

The man turned around to see the person asking the question. Rangiku waved a hello to the man to indicate that she was the one who called his attention. A frown appeared on the man's face.

"Hmm, aye I do. Grab a glass from the cupboard to the left and open up the barrel at the right," he answered and turned around to continue stirring his pot again.

Rangiku was stunned for a moment at the attitude and remembered what Nemu said. Annoyed but not willing to get into trouble just yet, Rangiku did as she was told and finally got herself some water to drink. She sat down on the chair again and leisurely drank her cup empty.

"Kensei, give me something to eat," sounded a female voice from beside Rangiku.

Rangiku did not recognize the voice and turned to look. She found a woman of similar age with short black hair and two long braids bound in white cloth reaching her hips.

The man called Kensei grunted an 'aye' and pulled out some bread and cheese from a cupboard. He cut them into slices before handing them on a plate to the woman. The black haired woman was about to eat when she noticed Rangiku.

"Who're you?" she asked.

[Shouldn't that be my question?] Rangiku sarcastically thought but answered anyway.

"I'm Scarlet, the new provisional quartermaster."

"Oh, the one Gin introduced earlier?" she raised an eyebrow, "Hmm, I wasn't on deck, so I didn't see ye."

"Is that so?"

"Call me Soifon. I'm the master gunner of this ship," she introduced herself and started eating.

"Pleased t' make your acquaintance."

"Likewise."

A brief silence befell them as they had nothing to talk about. Rangiku didn't mind and stood up after a while to leave.

[Let's take a look around the ship, shall we?] Rangiku decided.

She had just stepped out of the kitchen when she bumped into a short girl with shoulder length black hair.

"Ow," the person fell butt first to the floor.

"Are ye alright?" Rangiku asked concernedly and held out her hand.

The girl in front of her looked up with annoyed expression but quickly discarded it and grabbed the offering hand.

"Tis fine," she replied.

"Sorry 'bout that."

"Nah, I wasn't lookin as well."

Rangiku smiled in relief.

[This girl is really young. She seems to be around sixteen? The same age when I had to set out.]

"That's great. I'm Scarlet and you are…?"

"Karin. I saw ye when the Cap'n introduced you. I'm the mate of the master gunner, Soifon."

"Ah, if yer looking for her, I jus met her in the kitchen," Rangiku recollected and pointed with her thumb behind herself.

"Oh, thanks. Ye read my mind Miss."

"Call me Scarlet."

"Thanks again Scarlet."

Karin entered the kitchen and Rangiku finally started her exploration of the ship. Now she had already encountered three of the four females on board. Rangiku went through the rooms of the ship and remembered their functions. She did not hesitate to ask any of the members nearby if she had questions. As the quartermaster, she should become acquainted with the crew and the ways of the ship. It was her job after all.

After thinking that she had enough of sightseeing, Rangiku went up on deck again. There a rather unusual sight greeted her. Many of the men had retreated to the sides and cleared the middle of the deck for two men. One was a tall blue haired man who had light blue eyes with green lines under them. He was grinning like mad at the man opposite him.

[Green tattoos? It looks like make-up] Rangiku felt.

The other man was even taller than the first. He was a two metre giant with long spikey black hair combed back, reaching past his shoulders. His right eye was covered by a black rectangular eyepatch and his left face had a scar running down. He was grinning with delight like the former.

Both men had wooden swords in their hands and kept to a somewhat crouching position as they circled each other. They were waiting for an opening, a way to reach victory. Without further warning both men clashed. The swing from the blue haired man pushed the black haired back, but he didn't topple. Instead he countered with a kick followed by a slash of his sword when the blue haired man jumped. The blue haired raised his sword and blocked the incoming blade. As he was in the air, he had no halt and the force pushed him back. With a backwards roll, he caught himself and went back into a crouching position.

Rangiku wondered what was going on and found Momo and Nemu in the crowd of spectators. She went over to them while the men continued to fight each other. When she arrived, she whispered to them, "Hey, what's goin on here?"

"Jus some training. They does it often," Nemu explained, "They love fighting, ye see?"

"Hmm, I see."

Rangiku's attention went back to the two men from before. They were still in a deadlock. Neither wanted to give in and exchanged a series of blows and swings with the other. Every time one of them got pushed back, the surrounding crew cheered.

[This is undoubtedly a form of entertainment for them – with all the boring hours of being on sea with almost nothing to do when there's no other ship in sight. Who are they anyway?] Rangiku noticed that she forgot to ask for their names.

She was about to ask her friend when another man stepped into the ring. He was shorter than the other men, approximately 170 cm tall with fairly short and messy black hair and striking green eyes.

"Grimmjow, Kenpachi, you two are taking too long," he called out to them.

"Pah! What d'ye want Ulquiorra. Can't ye see that we're busy?" the blue haired man growled at the interruption.

"Grimmjow's right. We ain't finished yet!" the giant, who by elimination would be, Kenpachi yelled and rushed towards Grimmjow again.

Grimmjow naturally foresaw this and his grin widened as he abruptly pointed his sword at Kenpachi's nearing figure. The scar faced man barely managed to sidestep the pointed tip and had to forgo his attack. Kenpachi had a look of sadistic bliss on his face as he went to hit Grimmjow with his off hand. However, being as slick as he was, Grimmjow ducked underneath the punch before delivering a serious blow to Kenpachi's abdomen. But to Grimmjow's surprise the blow barely fazed the giant, who then grabbed Grimmjow's arm to prevent him from avoiding the powerful strike Kenpachi was about to deliver.

The newcomer Ulquiorra showed no emotions at the blatant slight. He merely dashed towards the men with a wooden sword in the hand and flipped over Grimmjow with it and tossed over Kenpachi by grabbing his cloth. Ulquiorra stood in the middle with Grimmjow on his back and Kenpachi on his stomach as the sole victor.

Rangiku couldn't help but laugh at the sight of the previously engaged men lying sprawled on the floor with confused faces. Her laughter cut through the air and reached the defeated men's ears. Their heads turned to Rangiku with angry faces and they challenged her.

"Ye damn wench, what's there t' laugh about?! Get yer ass here and fight me if ye dare!" Grimmjow shouted.

"Back off mate, she's me prey!" Kenpachi declared, "I ain't lettin her off for that!"

Rangiku stopped laughing, [These men… I'm sure I can handle them. I need to show my strength on this ship to gain enough respect.]

"Sure, I'll deal with ye two," she accepted the challenge, "Who'll be the first?"

"Are you sure about this?" Momo whispered from beside her.

"Yeah," Rangiku nodded, "Gin said it, didn't he? That 'on this ship, strength is everything'."

Momo gave a wry smile, "Be careful Scarlet."

Rangiku did not reply and strode confidently to confront the men. In the meanwhile Kenpachi and Grimmjow were on their feet again. Once Rangiku was near enough, Ulquiorra called out to her, "I'll be the judge for this, d'ye mind?"

Rangiku shook her head in denial.

"Then Grimmjow can be the first t' go up. Kenpachi, ye wait till the fight's over."

"I ain't interested in fightin the losers!" Kenpachi growled.

"Then I'll fight ye first," Rangiku lightly decided.

Ulquiorra glanced at her and at Kenpachi. He saw the unwavering will to fight in Rangiku's eyes and the eager desire to fight in Kenpachi's. He sighed, "Very well. Grimmjow leave it t' Kenpachi this time."

"But!"

"Ye can challenge her 'nother day."

He made Grimmjow back off to clear the ring and threw Rangiku a wooden sword which she caught mid-air. Rangiku twirled the sword around a few times to get a feel for its weight and size.

[It's not as heavy as a real sword, but heavy and sturdy enough I guess] she judged.

Rangiku did not take a particular stance as she waited for the start. Ulquiorra threw a metal coin and when it hit the floor, Kenpachi charged at her and swung his sword. Rangiku did not squarely take the impact but rather let it slide off her sword and circled around her opponent. She slashed horizontally at Kenpachi who even though he lost his balance, turned around just in time to block Rangiku's sword. Rangiku backed off a few steps before running at Kenpachi again with her sword pointed behind her, ready to swing. She noticed that Kenpachi had a blind spot on his left side due to the eyepatch that he wore and planned to use that to her advantage.

Kenpachi finally regained his bearings and also went at Rangiku with his sword raised high. As he swung down, Rangiku darted behind him instead of slashing him like it looked. She swung her blade and it connected with his back. Even if her strength wasn't enough to smash him to the ground, it was enough to make him stumbled. She did not hesitate and kicked behind his knees, fully bringing him to the ground and pointed her sword at his neck.

"Enough!" Ulquiorra shouted before Kenpachi could retaliate.

A round of cheers erupted with a few whistles here and there. Rangiku saw Momo give her a thumb up and she flashed a grin in return.

Kenpachi grinned wildly at Rangiku when he stood up.

"Yer a good lass," he approved of the young woman, "Ne'er thought that underestimating ye would lead to me downfall. What's yer name?"

"Scarlet."

"I see, Scarlet, I'll remember it!"

He burst out laughing before retreating under deck. Rangiku was somewhat confused at the display.

[Is this what the captain meant by 'strength is everything'?]

"That's it fer today. Get back to ya posts!" a voice reverberated through the deck.

[Talk about the devil…] Rangiku grimaced.

It was the captain who had arrived. Gin had been in his quarters when he heard a slightly different commotion from the usual. He stepped out and saw the exchange between Kenpachi and his new subordinate Scarlet. He was definitely impressed at the display, but knew that if it was the usual Kenpachi, it wouldn't have been so easy. He had a feeling, that his new quartermaster would become very useful.

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A/N: Feel free to give your thoughts if you feel like it!


	4. Chapter Three

A/N: Easter was pretty busy and I got sick as well, so I didn't manage to get back to this chapter until now. However, it is a pretty long one to make up for it. I hope you enjoy the chapter!

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Chapter Three

Rangiku sat in the kitchen and drowned a cup of rum. The captain had reprimanded her for her actions and because of that she was feeling incredibly annoyed. Her mind grumbled with curses as she finished her next cup. She knew that she couldn't get drunk easily and continued to drink like there was no tomorrow. A sudden pat on her shoulder jerked her out of her thoughts. It was Momo.

"What are you doing Scarlet?" Momo asked concerned.

"Nuthin'," Rangiku answered as she took another gulp.

Momo's eyebrows were pulled together in worry. She hadn't seen this side of her friend before. Rangiku seemed awfully upset for some reason.

"Are you still thinking about what the captain said?" Momo sighed.

"Nope," was the immediate answer.

"So you are," Momo sighed, "He didn't mean it, alright? He was probably only teasing you."

Rangiku slammed her glass on the table and whipped around.

"But he called it a _monkey_ performance! Plus he said t'was _childish_ to accept challenges like that! Who does he think he is?!"

"The captain?" Momo rolled her eyes as she sarcastically answered.

"_Ruby!_"

"I get it, I get it," Momo brought her hands up in surrender and stood up, "Come on, let's get you back to our room."

Momo half dragged a protesting Rangiku back to their cabin. After she shut the door, Momo plopped down on her bed and whispered, "You can stop now Rangiku. I know that you aren't even drunk."

Rangiku blinked in surprise and giggled.

"You knows me well."

Momo shook her head and smiled, "Remember the time there was this party at my house? You drank two bottles of wine and were fine. I had to drag you away before the adults noticed your drinking amount."

"Oh, that's right, heh," Rangiku scratched her head in embarrassment.

Momo lay down on her bed and Rangiku did the same. They drifted off into their own thoughts. After a while Rangiku asked, "Hey Momo, have you found out anything regarding your search?"

"Nothing much from my conversations with the crew… the Captain might know something though, but I feel it's dangerous to ask him."

A brief silence befell the girls again. Suddenly Momo sat up and turned towards Rangiku.

"Rangiku, don't you find our situation amusing?"

Rangiku rolled on her bed to face Momo, "What d'ye mean?"

"I mean – Doesn't this situation remind of the role plays we did when we were children. We are even using code-names like Scarlet and Ruby," Momo giggled with a hand covering her mouth.

Rangiku thought about it for a bit and agreed, "Yeah, we did that, didn't we? To think that we're now doing this for reals."

Rangiku laughed out loud.

"No one here knows my actual identity. Not even Gin I. Shinso has recognized us."

[That's right. Gin…] Rangiku quieted down after hearing his name.

She hesitated for a moment before asking her question.

"Do you really think that it could be him?"

"There is no doubt about it," Momo nodded with a smirk, crossed her arms and lowered her voice, "His appearance is extremely similar and his demeanour – it must be him. The 'I' in his name most likely corresponds to 'Ichimaru'. We almost never reveal our real family names after all."

"That's right…"

As Rangiku trailed off, Momo started giggling.

"But _really_, to think that no one knows that I am actually the daughter of the famous General Tobiume, Momo H. Tobiume!" Momo giggled like mad, "If they knew, I'd be dead!"

Rangiku was infected by it and started laughing as well.

"Yeah and I am the fallen noble Rangiku M. Haineko!"

Both girls broke out in crazy laughter.

#####

The captain of the Ashen Spear leaned against his chair and closed his eyes. The scene of a pouting and furious young woman appeared in the darkness of his mind. His eyes snapped open and his usual grin disappeared. His foot ached a little. He was feeling a little bad for teasing Scarlet like that back there and the memory of it wasn't helping him either.

"Maybe I should go an' apologize after all…" he mumbled to himself and stood up but immediately sat down again, "Wait. Why should I?"

A small frown on his face showed his confusion. He couldn't relax. He felt that it wasn't his fault that Scarlet blew up like a fuse after his comment and stomped on his foot with her boot's heel. It had hurt a lot and he had felt angry but after thinking about it again, he realized that he was being insensitive with his remarks. That realisation made him feel increasingly guiltier. He ruffled his hair in irritation.

"Let's get this over with," he muttered and stood up again; this time steered for Scarlet's room.

After a while he arrived in front of Scarlet and Ruby's door. He was about to knock, when he heard laughter from the inside. It made him halt in his actions. Words passed through the closed door.

"…_knows my actual identity…"_

The words 'actual identity' peaked his curiosity and he leaned against the door to hear more.

"_There is no doubt about it…..appearance….demeanour….most likely…"_

Gin struggled to hear the conversation and only got snippets and words which did not make sense to him at all. However the next parts he heard, shocked him.

"…_..no one knows that I am actually the daughter of the famous General Tobiume, Momo H. Tobiume!...I'd be dead!"_

"_Yeah… noble Rangiku M. Haineko!"_

"Rangiku…?" he muttered unconsciously and immediately clamped his hands over his mouth.

As he listened for the sounds, his heart thumped wildly at the thought of being found out. Laughter burst from beyond the door. The conversing girls inside the room did not seem to have noticed him as they were laughing loudly with no restraint.

Gin wasn't sure whether he should continue to listen in or not. His curiosity won out in the end and he pressed his ear against the wooden door again.

"…_plans for the future, Momo?"_

Gin recognized the voice as Scarlet's, which meant that she was Rangiku and the other was Momo.

"_I'm not sure. Finding Shiro will be difficult…Prince Hyorinmaru and have no family name…..name."_

Gin got somewhat confused at the mention of the missing prince but continued listening.

"_He never told ye?"_

"_I never told him mine either."_

"_I guess tis normal…hope that he's actually the captain of the Ice Ring…."_

"…_bad luck at finding him, Rangiku. The king did not…"_

"_Nope, you'll get it done even…."_

Gin stepped away from the door. He needed some time to think or everything he heard would not make any sense to him in the end. He quietly stepped away, making sure that no one saw him as he left for his quarters again.

Only one sentence ran through his mind for now.

_Why was Rangiku a pirate?_

#####

Night had fallen and most of the crew had gone to bed. Similarly Gin had done the same except that he couldn't fall asleep. Thoughts of the conversation from this afternoon were still heavily weighing on his mind. Just yesterday he had found two young women drifting on the sea. They had introduced themselves as Scarlet and Ruby of Captain Tousen's ship, Benihiko. As a captain who also allowed women on board, Gin naturally knew of Captain Tousen and was even acquainted with him. He did not expect the news of his ship's sinking and wondered if the man survived the disaster.

Today he had found out that the women he brought on board were actually the current about-to-be crown princess and his former childhood friend. He could not actually believe it. They looked so different from when he last saw them, that it seemed like a joke. But after actually comparing them to his memory, he could finally see the similarities. The beauty mark under the right side of Scarlet's mouth was at the same place as Rangiku's.

"_Ran_…", Gin whispered the nickname of his dearest childhood friend.

Someone he had never forgotten during the past few years. His chest ached as he thought about it. Even though he had seen many beautiful women, none could compare to _her_. She was an existence with whom he could not part. His heart had almost burst in sorrow on the day he had to leave. His family tradition had the highest priority or else he would not be able to stay with her in the future. The ring he had given her was actually the ring he was going to use to propose to her, but instead he gave it to her as a memento. He didn't see the ring on either of Scarlet's hands. The only accessory he saw was a golden necklace.

She had promised to wait for him. Did she forget? Gin wasn't sure anymore.

Was Scarlet really Rangiku?

Gin closed his eyes and pictured his childhood friend's face. He imagined her shoulder-length hair grow longer and her figure become more shapely. Slowly but surely the picture of his love turned into Scarlet. His eyes opened with a jolt. Surprise was reflected in them. His eyes which he typically kept like slits had opened fully and even widened. His usual smile had not resurfaced ever since his thoughts ran wild but now the corners of his lips were slowly tugging upwards. A soft smile spread on his face as his mind became peaceful.

"Ran…", he whispered softly and finally drifted off to sleep.

#####

"Cap'n! Merchant ship a nautical mile to ta left!"

"Let's get down ta business!"

"Aye‼"

Gin's usual grin was plastered on his face as he watched the crew get excited from his declaration. In the midst of the men, he could see Rangiku standing beside Ruby, though now he would have to refer to her as Momo in his mind – Ruby was a false name after all.

The merchant ship was already on the run, but the Ashen Spear kept up. A slight fogginess surrounded the two ships, making visibility a little unclear. As the Ashen Spear neared its target, the sailors on boards readied their grappling hooks. The moment the two ships aligned Gin gave the sign and the men on board threw their hooks. With a ferocious cry the pirates boarded the ship and confronted the guards on board.

Among the pirates were Rangiku and Momo, who had to do their job as long as Gin was their captain. Blades flashed and agonizing cries rang out. In the fight, the two girls went separate ways.

Rangiku blocked the incoming blade and jumped back. The mercenary growled in dissatisfaction at the failed attempt. He whipped out a dagger and flung it at Rangiku who ducked quickly. The blade barely passed above her and cut a few strands that were still falling. Rangiku's eyes widened as she saw precious hair fall to the ground. Her eyes narrowed in anger and she glared at the man in front of her. With a cry she leapt at her opponent who had moved as well to meet her. The man's sword neared her stomach but stopped with a sudden clang. Rangiku smirked at the man's widened eyes as she stabbed through his heart.

After pulling out the sword, the man's lifeless body slumped to the ground. Blood trailed down the cutlass as Rangiku returned the dagger in her left hand back to the small bag strapped around her left thigh. She had pulled it out when she was in a crouching position and immediately used it to stop the guard's weapon.

While looking for her next target, Rangiku did not ease up. If the tension left her now, her reaction time would slow down and may prove to be fatal. Near her, Kenpachi was mowing down on a mercenary hired by the merchant ship with a short broad-axe. The large blade cleaved through the man's arms, making him let out a blood curling scream. Kenpachi grinned as he looped off the opponent's head. The scream immediately stopped, but Rangiku thought to have seen the man's lips continue to move as the head spiralled away from the body.

A shiver ran down her spine. She was glad that she did not have him as an enemy. Thoughts of her previous match with the giant appeared in her mind. The massive man must have underestimated her greatly, his attacks were too fast and deadly now for their match to have been her win otherwise. A sudden push sent her stumbling forward. She spun around to see why. A large back covered most of her view and silver hair gleamed in the sun.

"Gin", she unconsciously let out.

The sound of metal clashing came from his direction and she saw why. Gin was fending off a man nearly the size of Kenpachi with bulging muscles and a furious face. However, while grinning like he always does, the silver haired captain sliced away at the man's arms and legs at the smallest opening presented to him. A last stab into the opponent's chest and Gin gave a light kick, making the opponent slide off his cutlass and fall backwards to the ground.

"Ts, ts, ts."

Gin clicked his tongue at the sight and shook his head as if disappointed. He turned around to Rangiku with his usual smile and shook his head at her.

"Ya should be more careful and not doze off, 'kay Scarlet? If I hadn't pushed ya away, ya would've been dead, ya know?"

Rangiku immediately understood the situation she was in a moment ago. She opened her mouth but no words came out. What was she supposed to say?

[I'm glad Gin saved me when I let my guard down, but this attitude…]

Even though Rangiku felt like retorting, she couldn't refute his words. In the end a small frown appeared on her face instead accompanied by a small pout.

Gin's expression did not change but inwardly he felt like giving a wry smile to his childhood friend. However, to not linger around any longer he said, "Make haste with tha killing and stay close, lass. We'll be roundin' up the people."

Scarlet nodded and followed Gin who made a beeline for the underdeck. On the way they fought off several men and either incapacitated them or killed them off as swiftly as possible. Once below, the pair split off to search for any hiding passengers. Rangiku had to search for a bit before she found an elderly business man and brought him up to the surface.

Near the main mast, a group of prisoners were already gathered guarded by several pirates, while a couple were still fighting further away to the right. However, the left side was largely clear except for the two men who were pointing their swords at each other. Rangiku glanced over to that particular pair and recognized both of them. One was Captain Ichimaru and the other was the owner of this ship, the merchant Byakuya. With long black hair and a handsome but stoic face, he is said to be a rather cold and ruthless man in his trade, yet outstanding and cunning. He is also said to be proficient at swordsmanship. Once he was feared throughout the seas as a vengeful lawbringer; bringing justice to any and all criminals. Pirates both feared and respecting his prowess with a blade. Until one day Byakuya retired and became one of the most respected traders throughout the land.

[What happened?] Rangiku wondered as she took a few moments to look.

Then Rangiku gave a light pat to the elderly man she caught, silently telling him to move and made him join the group sitting on the floor. In the meanwhile she watched the ongoing scene nearby.

It was a repetition of strikes and retreats as if they were testing the waters of each other. Neither man seemed to have an advantage over the other. Ichimaru sent small simple blows to which Byakuya parried with ease. Byakuya's moves were smooth and swift, giving the appearance as if he were in an elegant dance rather than a duel to the death. Suddenly Byakuya shifted to the offensive and launched a barrage of quick strikes at Gin, who parried the blade each time, albeit with difficulty. The last swing locked both swords to a halt. Byakuya immediately pushed both blades down at the hilt with his left hand and dished out a horizontal strike. Gin barely managed to dodge it by bringing up his sword again and leaning backwards. Both swords passed by his face dangerously close. Gin was forced to take a couple of steps back but quickly regained his balance. His façade twitched a little at the careless mistake he made, however, he didn't dwell on it and immediately dashed towards Byakuya again, whose swing just ended, making his arm stretched across his chest.

Byakuya frowned at his miss but had no time to stay that way as Gin's blade flashed from below. He backed away and as quickly as he could drew his sabre downwards in a low arc to meet the incoming blade and propel its speed while guiding it away from him. He immediately followed up with a thrust, which Gin sidestepped but it still scratched his side, ripping his clothes.

Gin retreated and created some distance between them. His left hand instinctively went to the cut area. He looked down to his left hand and saw crimson fluid staining it; he then looked down towards his freshly cut stomach and saw a thin flow of blood seeping out of the newly caused wound. Gin's grin wavered slightly. However, he had no time to focus on the injury as the fight was not over yet.

Byakuya didn't miss the opening he had created and rushed at Gin, aiming at the shoulder. A swift parry from Gin blocked the attack, but Byakuya did not stop there. He followed up with quick thrusts at various body parts, but Gin deflected them all. As Byakuya swung his sword from the right downwards, Gin found his chance. He shifted his cutlass to his left hand and blocked the strike while stepping into Byakuya's space and directed a punch at the face. Byakuya twisted his upper body to avoid it but didn't expect Gin to suddenly grab his neck from behind after the hand passed his head. Gin pulled Byakuya and kneed him in the stomach before letting go and watch his opponent stumbled backwards.

Byakuya's face contorted into a grimace at the pain but noticed Gin coming up to give a slash. Byakuya didn't quite manage to block the strike and the iron blade inflicted a small gash to his left arm. His concentration wavered as he suppressed the pain until it faded. Byakuya withdrew enough to avoid surprise attacks by Gin. Unlike he expected, Gin simply stood there with his usual grin and called out two words, "Pay back."

Byakuya frowned and glanced at his wound where a trickle of blood started to flow down along his arm. Both men lowered their bodies a little to ready themselves for the next attack, but were interrupted by a loud and rough sounding voice, "Captain! Look what I found!"

The pair wanted to only give a quick glance over to the voice's origin, but their gazes stayed there and their bodies followed, though their swords were still pointed at each other in caution.

"Hisana…" Byakuya's eyes widened in slight fear as he whispered when he saw the person the pirate had brought.

She had long black hair and was rather pale.

"So ya found her Kenpachi!" Gin said in a light tone before turning back to his opponent, "Looks like tis game over fer ya."

Byakuya's eyes narrowed as he demanded in a low voice, "Let her go."

"Nah, I ain't doing that," Gin responded, unfazed by the violent aura Byakuya was starting to give out, "Unless ya want her back dead like a slab of cold meat."

Byakuya's anger receded at the threat. He couldn't let harm come to his wife. He could see that she was on the verge of tears as worry and fear permeated her being. The giant holding her shoulder also had his axe pointed at her. A wrong move and she would not live to see another day. Hisana's frail hands pressed on her chest as she coughed a few times. Seeing that, Byakuya was also reminded of her illness and poor health. With no choice but to surrender, Byakuya lowered his weapon and sheathed it. His lips were pressed into a thin line. Gin neared with relaxed strides and took the sword off Byakuya and led the owner of the ship to the captured group near the mast. He gave Byakuya a shove, making him stagger into the group of hostages. After Byakuya regained his balance, he turned around and caught Hisana as she stumbled into his arms. She immediately made movements to treat her husband's injuries.

In the meantime the various sailors of the target ship surrendered in the end. For those who continued their resistance only lifeless bodies remained. Since most valued their lives, they gave up resisting against the crew of the Ashen Spear. Everyone had been gathered and Gin directed for the valuables to be handed over. He threw in a couple of threats to make sure the targets did what they were told. During all that, Momo had silently walked over to Rangiku, but just stood silently beside the blonde as if looking for something. Rangiku couldn't figure out what her friend was thinking and didn't bother herself with it anymore.

"Don't you think something is strange?"

The sudden whisper from Momo startled Rangiku, who was somewhat absentminded. Then Rangiku's eyebrows scrunched together in confusion at the question.

"What do you mean?" she asked after composing herself.

"I mean that there weren't any enough guards here and that there aren't any other ships guarding this one," Momo replied.

"I thought that it was enough for a ship like this?"

Momo finally looked up at Rangiku with disbelief in her eyes before turning back to the front.

"You may not know," Momo explained, "but the merchant Byakuya is known for having a tight guard around his ship in the upper echelons. This ship is the Cherry Blossom, so it is definitely his ship. He wouldn't simply let his guard down like this."

Momo's stoic face let a frown appear and she bit her lower lip.

"I do not like the current situation at all," she continued, "This fog – it feels deceptive."

By now Rangiku was also frowning, not out of wariness like her friend, but out of worry – worry for her ship, her crew mates and Gin.

[Huh? Did I just think of Gin? No, no, it's because he's my captain, right?]

Rangiku shook her head slightly to drive her useless thoughts away. She took a look around the deck and beyond to see the clues Momo gave her.

[Now that I've had a good look, there aren't _that_ many mercenaries around. Well, it's enough for the average merchant, but this is _the_ Byakuya after all. He is an awfully wealthy and influential merchant. Momo is right, we were unusually lucky to catch him like this.]

As Rangiku observed the seas beyond, she noticed shadows moving in the fog.

[What is that?] she narrowed her eyes to see more clearly.

Rangiku gave a light tap on Momo's shoulder and indicated towards the shadows.

"Is that…?" Rangiku had a bad feeling as her question trailed off.

"Yes, I think it is," Momo nodded.

"We have t' warn the Captain", Rangiku said and made movements to do so, but Momo stopped her.

"No need. I told him earlier, so he probably has noticed it already."

Rangiku glanced towards Gin. The silver haired man had taken the woman from before out of the crowd with a sword pointed at her neck.

[What is he..?]

A man with long black hair stood up from the group of prisoners and shouted, "What are you doing?!"

[It's Byakuya.] Rangiku recognized the man who fought Gin.

"Jus' guaranteeing mah safety," Gin answered.

Next a girl jumped up from the sitting group. She looked nearly identical to the woman, except that she had shorter hair and a healthier complexion.

"Stop! Take me! My sister is sick and needs constant care. You don't have the medicine and you wouldn't want to take care of her illness while retreating, right?" the girl volunteered to be the substitute.

"Heh, tryin' ta play hero here, lassie?" Gin mocked.

"The girl's right Cap'n," a voice from beside Gin objected.

It was Ulquiorra.

"I don't think Miss Unohana would like t' take care of her after this," Ulquiorra stated.

"The Doc mightn't like it, right," Gin nodded as if he just remembered and waved the girl over, "Come 'ere!"

Once the black haired girl arrived and Ulquiorra held her in check, Gin let go of the woman he was holding. The frail looking woman stumbled across to Byakuya, who had a complicated expression on his face. He seemed to be happy and at the same time mortified. Rangiku had already guessed that the woman was his wife, Hisana. Tears formed in Hisana's eyes as she said, "Dear, what do we do? Rukia is…"

Byakuya shook his head to stop his wife from speaking any further.

"She has a better chance at this than you do. Trust her. We will definitely get her back," he whispered to Hisana as guilt and anger seeped through his stoic face.

"Retreat!" Gin ordered his men and the sailors of the Ashen Spear moved back, taking their loot with them.

Meanwhile the nearing shadows fully became two ships geared ready for battle. Byakuya held his hand up, giving a sign not to fire and stand by instead.

Ulquiorra yanked on Rukia's arm to make her move but the girl struggled, protesting that it hurt and she could walk on her own. In return it earned her a slap across the cheek and her lips bled.

Rangiku watched as Ulquiorra dragged the hostage with him back to the Ashen Spear. She herself also withdrew with Momo onto the ship while carrying some bags of stolen goods. Quickly, the Ashen Spear departed from the site and soon, the Cherry Blossom was out of sight.

"Lock her in tha storage," Gin ordered Ulquiorra and turned around to Rangiku, "Time ta do yer job."

With quick strides, the silver haired man returned to his room. The crowd dispersed and everyone went to their ways. Most of them went to tend to their wounds. Everything the crew retrieved had been compiled in a certain room, specifically meant for the storage of treasure until given out. Rangiku made her way there to get down to her somewhat secretarial duties. She would have to compile a list of what they had seized and distribute it fairly among the seamen. It was not her favourite past time but it was a duty coming with her position. Rangiku gave a sigh.

[Let's get this done and over, shall we?]

#####

"Enter."

A young woman with black hair entered. A ruby adorned clip kept the left side of her hair from falling into her face. The sound of heels clicking upon contact with the ground came to a halt.

"You called for me Captain Ichimaru?"

Gin looked up from his paperwork.

"Yup, I called ya Momo," he answered with the usual grin on his face.

A stoic look was on the girl's face as she waited for further explanations, but Gin took his time. He had noticed that the Princess got occasionally nervous around his presence, not only now, but in the past as well. He remembered a certain meeting with her during a birthday party of a noble's child. As he was invited, he could not simply refuse without a proper reason. Making connections was important too – but that was a story for another time.

As the silence grew heavier, Momo started to sweat, she was overthinking things and it made her unusually tense. Her reaction did not escape Gin's senses and he finally decided to put a stop to his little punishment for lying about her real identity, though Momo would not know the real reason.

"Ya little tip earlier turned out t' be right, lil' miss," Gin spoke with a chuckle, "You've done well."

The unexpected words tripped Momo's inner balance.

She stumbled over her tongue as she tried to reply, "N-no, i-it wasn't much."

"Yer too humble lass," Gin shook his head in denial and secretly laughed at the reaction, "I hear ya were asking 'round about tha Ice Ring?"

A shaky laughter was his response.

"Where might you have heard that from?"

"I hear much more 'bout this ship than ya realize," Gin remarked, "but back to mah question."

There was a short silence as Momo contemplated about her circumstances before she answered.

"Yes."

"And ya asked everyone but me, eh?"

"I figured that if no one knew, you might not know as well Captain," Momo replied but her voice was unsteady.

"Ya didn't hear how we worked together in tha past?"

"…No," Momo replied hesitantly.

Gin knew that most of the crew would have mentioned it to her at some point if she had asked specifically about the captain of the Ice Ring as well. His connection with Prince Hyorinmaru or rather the current captain of the Ice Ring was based more on mutual benefit rather than trust or friendship. They had both come to an agreement to not reveal their real identities to anyone, but Gin guessed that letting him meet an old acquaintance was not out of line. He felt like it would enfold into a rather amusing story to listen to.

"Well, I won't ask ya 'bout yer reason fer searching him," Gin lightly said and put his elbow on the table to rest his chin on his hand, "Anyways, thanks to ya, the Ashen Spear got away safely, so let me give ya a special reward."

Momo silently nodded as she gulped at the mention of 'special reward'.

"But before that, I need ta know. Are ya just searching fer information or actually lookin' fer the Ice Ring?"

Gin was cautious about his approach on the subject. He could not let Momo realize that he knew her identity already. If he wanted to help her out, he had to play innocent and unaware. Therefore he also had to ask questions he already knew the answers to.

Momo slowly began to move open her mouth, "I am looking for them."

"Tis good that yer honest, Ruby," Gin leaned back on his chair, "if ya want ta get their attention, ya'll have ta know a bit 'bout Toshiro and their habits."

Momo's head bobbed up and down as she was still wary of Gin's motives.

"Ya must've heard of Rukongai before, right?"

Momo nodded again, "'The city of thieves' if I remember correctly?"

"Hm,"Gin made a sound that signified his satisfaction with the answer.

"Tha Ice Ring like ta stop there quite often."

"If I may ask – why ?"

The moment Momo asked, she regretted doing so. She saw Gin's eyes open slightly and glance at her. Cold sky blue irises pierced through her as she felt a shiver run down her spine. The next moment it was gone and it all seemed as if it was simply an illusion. Momo blinked at the smiling captain in confusion.

"Tis a sentimental story, really," Gin shook his head, "Not a story that would entertain ya but if ya actually want ta know, why don't cha ask him yerself? Captain Toshiro I mean. We'll be stopping at port ta do somethin' 'bout our little captured princess here."

Momo's flinch at the word 'princess' did not slip by Gin. It was the desired effect he wanted. He had purposely included the word. He was a little sadistic after all.

"Does that mean that you will let us go?" Momo's ears perked up at the new information.

"Why not?" Gin shrugged his shoulders, "But back to our conversation from before."

This time the silver haired man had fully captured Momo's attention.

#####

A soft knock on the door startled the person inside curled up in a corner of the room. Some light entered the dark room as two people entered. One was tall and the other only reached the shoulders of the first. Both were carrying something as they put the stuff down before the taller person went over to the window and took away the blinds, letting in light. The girl in the corner could finally see who the two silhouettes were.

"Hey there," the tall girl greeted, who in fact was Rangiku.

"Good day to you," the other person, Momo spoke.

After seeing the scene earlier and knowing that Rukia had not been treated yet, the two girls decided to tend to Rukia's wounds.

On the other hand, seeing two strangers of the crew that held you hostage, Rukia was very wary of the newcomers and shivered as fear began to bubble up inside her.

"What do you want?" Rukia demanded in a harsh tone to cover up her feelings.

"Please calm down," Momo softly smiled as she slowly approached the younger girl, "I am here to tend to your injury."

Momo kneeled down in front of the black haired teenager as she waited for her permission. Hesitation was visible on Rukia's face. She was insecure and unsure of what to do.

"Ye must be hungry, right?" Rangiku called out from behind Momo, "I've got some food with me. Ye can eat after Ruby's got ye cuts treated."

The smell of food wafted over to Rukia and she did not need further enticement. Her stomach rumbled. Rangiku and Momo suppressed their giggles and kept a straight face.

Ashamed at her body language, Rukia lowered her head with a noticeable blush, "Please go ahead."

With quick and trained movements, Momo washed the dried up blood away with water and cleaned the wound with alcohol. A sharp pain shot through Rukia and a small whimper left her lips but she managed to remain quiet most of the time as Momo continued to tend to her. She even found a bruise on Rukia's left leg and smeared some medicine on it and bandaged it. Soon she was done and it was Rangiku's turn. The strawberry-blonde woman brought a tray of food with her. It was hot soup with beans, small pieces of potatoes and meat since Rukia had injured her lips. It was to make eating easier for her. Rangiku also took out a blanket and covered Rukia with it.

"There ye go," Rangiku smiled satisfactorily as Rukia started eating.

After some hesitant sips, Rukia's pace became faster and soon she emptied the bowl. Still somewhat shy, Rukia said in a small voice, "Thank you."

Rangiku laughed heartily, "No need."

"You were lucky," Momo said, "The one who slapped you was Ulquiorra. He definitely held back with his strength or else you may have gotten knocked out."

"Plus," Rangiku added, "if ye were a guy, he would've punched ye in the face or gut."

"That guy is a lot more gentlemanly than I thought?" Momo concluded though she seemed rather unsure.

"I-is that so?" Rukia dreaded the thought of it actually happening to her.

"No worries girl," Rangiku grinned, "By the way, I'm Scarlet an' this is Ruby."

"My name is Rukia and thank you for," Rukia answered with a stronger voice this time.

"We will come by again," Momo said and stood up preparing to leave.

Rangiku also gathered up the dishes and spoke, "Let's talk more next time!"


	5. Chapter Four

A/N: Saying I'm sorry after updating only after two months will probably not cut it, so I'll put up chapter five tomorrow. For now, enjoy!

* * *

Chapter Four

The sound the anchor hitting the water entered Rangiku's ears as she stood at the railings of the Ashen Spear. She watched the heavy piece of metal sink and quietly disappear into the deep blue water. Shouts of the men calling out to each other resounded around her as they confirmed that the ropes and riggings were securely tied. Rangiku's eyes swept across the deck. Normally she would be helping out the sailors but today she had something else planned.

It wasn't actually something that she herself had planned but rather that someone else planned and just told her about it and it didn't only happen once but twice in succession.

**Sitting on their beds and facing each other were Rangiku and Momo.**

"**Rangiku," Momo whispered, "I found a lead to Shiro."**

"**Prince Hyorinmaru, really?" Rangiku was surprised.**

"**Yes," Momo nodded and leaned against the wall, "Apparently there is a certain inn in Rukongai that the Ice Ring tends to frequent."**

**She had not expected her friend to get any further on this ship by the way the situation looked. The new piece of information was very timely.**

"**That's good t' hear. We're also docking at the next port town, right? Did the Cap's say we could leave?"**

**Momo nodded, "Yes, we can leave."**

"**Tis great!"**

**However, Momo's face did not show the happiness and excitement Rangiku was expecting, so she decided to ask, "What's wrong?"**

**Momo's eyes drifted around the room, occasionally settling on Rangiku and wandering on. She parted her lips but didn't speak immediately. She frowned as the words did not come out. Then she glanced at her dear friend with faltering eyes. Her voice was somewhat weak, "I… I am not sure how to say this."**

**Rangiku furrowed her brows at the girl's indecisiveness.**

"**I think saw Captain Ichimaru's eye color when I asked a rather sensitive question."**

**Rangiku's eyes widened at Momo's answer, "You what…?"**

**Momo averted her eyes as she continued, "You once said that with his eye colors you would be certain of his identity… They were sky blue."**

"**Sky blue…" Rangiku echoed, "My god…"**

**Rangiku eyes dilated in shock and her head lowered, unfocused eyes faced directed at the ground. Slowly the silence wrapped around them.**

[The way it is, Momo will have to continue her journey alone. This is probably the only chance I'll get.] Rangiku thought to herself as she waited for her dark haired friend.

A sense of guilt filled her as she stood in silence with the thought of breaking her promise to help out plaguing her.

"Scarlet," the voice broke Rangiku out of her daze.

The strawberry-blonde turned to face Momo with a smile. The black haired girl had a small bag pack with her.

"You're here! Let's go?" Rangiku said and Momo nodded.

Momo's lips shifted into a small smile once she saw that Rangiku was trying to be upbeat about the situation. The girls left the harbour and went into the city to sightsee a little and maybe buy a thing or two. When they entered the plaza, they found themselves surrounded by many different kinds of stalls. Apparently there was a monthly special market day and they happened upon it by chance.

"Are those apples dipped in molten sugar?" Momo asked as she saw the items displayed in a sweets stall.

"Hm?" Rangiku followed Momo's line of sight.

"Yes, they are," Rangiku confirmed and glanced at her friend.

Momo had a rather longing face as she gazed at the sugar coated apples.

[She wants one, eh?] Rangiku thought and smirked as an idea popped in to her head.

"Let's go Momo," Rangiku nonchalantly said and started moving forward.

"Eh?" Momo replied and looked at her best friend in surprise, "but–"

"But what?" Rangiku stopped and turned around, "Those are for children, ye know?"

Momo's postured straightened and mumbled out an, "I-I see."

"Why don't ye go and get one of those sweet potatoes instead?" Rangiku pointed over to another stand.

"That's right…" Momo replied weakly and marched towards the indicated place.

She bought two baked sweet potatoes, one for herself and one for Rangiku. She turned around to give one to Rangiku but her friend had suddenly disappeared.

"Rangiku…?"

With nothing better to do, Momo went to the middle of the plaza, where a fountain was placed. She sat down on the edge and laid the food on her lap. She took one of them and started peeling it. She was about to take a bite when something bumped her head, creating an unpleasant thud. Frowning from the pain, Momo looked up only to see Rangiku dangling something in front of her face. Momo pushed Rangiku's hand away to get a better look and her eyes widened in delight. However, it turned quickly into an accusing one.

"You bought a sugar coated apple for yourself?!" Momo pouted.

Rangiku shook her head and grinned, "Nope, tis for you."

Momo almost didn't believe her ears, "Really?"

"Uh-huh," Rangiku smiled and handed over the candy while taking the sweet potato on Momo's hand.

"You did a good job, thank you," Momo praised Rangiku who shook her head.

She snickered, "Really, saying 'good job' that way. What am I – your pet?"

Rangiku took a seat beside Momo and began eating. They both ate in silence as if to drag out the actual conversation they had to confront. After they finished eating, Rangiku also got some juice for them to drink. After a while Rangiku finally decided that it was time.

"Momo…" she started.

The black haired girl had an inkling on what Rangiku was about to tell her and she had made her decision about the moment she had revealed she would leave.

"I'm so sorry t' break my promise after saying all that stuff but… I don't think I can come with you… I… I need to know the truth. Why he is here and what he is doing here… and why he seems so different," Rangiku said, trying to convey her feelings and thoughts.

She did not dare look at Momo for fear of rejection. When she didn't hear an answer, Rangiku grew more nervous. She almost jumped when she felt a pat on her back. Rangiku turned her head to Momo and saw a warm smile on her friend's face. Relief washed over her as she saw that Momo wasn't angry or disappointed at all.

"I understand and I knew by your reaction that time that you would definitely want to stay. There's no way I could separate you from him as you could separate me from Shiro – not after having no word of them for years," Momo gently answered and ended with a soft chuckle.

Tears began to form on the edges of Rangiku's eyes and started sobbing, "Thank you!"

She pulled Momo into a bear hug, squishing her into her chest until Momo had to repeatedly pat Rangiku to signal that she was suffocating.

When Rangiku finally let go, Momo added, "In a couple of months I will have to return to the castle. Therefore, should you be nearby, leave a letter or something. However, should I already be back, come and visit me. You will always be welcome."

"I'll definitely do that," Rangiku nodded and smiled.

Momo stood up from the water fountain's edge and dusted off the crumbs of food on her and Rangiku followed suit.

"I believe it is time for me to go," Momo finally said and gathered up her belongings, "You also have another appointed, don't you?"

"A-another appointment… Ahaha, I don't know what you are talking about," Rangiku stuttered and rubbed her neck as her eyes wandered away from Momo's.

"Oh, come on, don't be shy," Momo teased, "I saw how Captain Ichimaru asked you out for lunch and most of the crew saw it too."

"'Asked out'? More like forced me to accept it," Rangiku grumbled.

"I thought I saw him smile happily when he heard your answer though," Momo stated playfully.

"Eh? How would ye know when he smiles all the time?" Rangiku retorted and shook her head.

"It seemed rather different from his usual ones. He had this sparkly aura around him, such as a child who knows that he will receive a present."

"Tis a weird comparison," Rangiku replied and raised an eyebrow.

"Ah, you must have not seen it as he was returning to his quarters already," Momo pointed out as she remembered, "And during the raid, he also went to specifically save you. I saw it from a distance."

"There's no way, girl. Twas coincidence, coincidence I tell ya!" Rangiku denied.

"If you say so~" Momo relented, "Though I am sure he is trying to court you…"

Seeing the direction the conversation was taking, Rangiku didn't know how to respond anymore and took a radical approach.

"Anyways, I'm so sad t' see ye go!" Rangiku wailed and hugged Momo once more, changing topics.

It was a short hug, so Momo only felt squashed for a moment.

She rubbed the pain in her arms away while smiling at Rangiku and said, "Yes, thank you for everything Rangiku – don't be late to your date – and until we meet again."

Momo couldn't help but add something else in and started to turn away.

"Fair winds, Milady," Rangiku answered in return while ignoring the side comment.

Momo left the plaza and Rangiku waited until her friend was out of sight. With a sad sigh and a small hint of irritation, Rangiku returned to the ship.

#####

A certain pair was sitting in a restaurant eating lunch. To other it may have seemed like a couple on a date, but to the two sitting there, it was something else – at least for one of them it was.

Rangiku couldn't help but keep remembering what Momo said to her before she left. The words 'date' and 'hitting on you' kept swirling around in her mind, making her somewhat dizzy.

"Is somethin' wrong?"

Rangiku broke out of her thoughts at Gin's question.

"A-ah, no, I was just thinking 'bout M-Ruby," Rangiku quickly answered.

[Phew, I almost said Momo's name out loud. Damn it, what's wrong with me?] Rangiku scolded herself for being careless.

"Ya shouldn't worry so much. She'll be fine," Gin assured her.

Rangiku blinked her eyes. She thought to have seen a slight change in the usual grin Gin wore. She thought that he was actually smiling for a moment but immediately dismissed her musings and replied, "Yeah…"

She understood that Gin was trying to lighten her guilty feelings but actually felt guiltier because she had lied.

[Well, I didn't exactly lie. I _was_ thinking about Momo… and what she said.] Rangiku excused herself and waved any further thoughts on the topic away.

After they finished their food, Rangiku took out her money to pay, but Gin shook his head and did not let her pay. Instead he paid for both of them while saying, "My treat."

Together they left the restaurant and stepped onto the busy street where merchant sold their wares at their stands. A nearby ice cream stall caught Gin's eye and he pointed towards it while saying, "Let's get some."

Without waiting for an answer, he steered towards the stall. Not commenting on Gin deciding by himself, Rangiku silently followed the young man who seemed to be in high spirits.

"What would you like, sir?" the vendor asked Gin who arrived first.

Gin gave a quick look over list of flavours until his gaze fell upon a name that piqued his interest.

"Ya have persimmon flavour?" Gin asked surprised.

"Yes, it's the 'Special flavour of the day'," the vendor answered and took an ice cream cone, "Would you like some?"

"Just a sec'," Gin replied and turned to Rangiku, "What d'ya want?"

Rangiku was equally surprised at the 'Special flavour of the day' and immediately replied, "I want persimmon flavour."

"Persimmon? So we got the same taste, eh?" Gin chuckled, "I haven't met many who like it, but I especially like 'em dried."

The last sentence caught Rangiku's attention as she recalled how her childhood friend and she herself shared the same love for dried persimmon. She chose to not reply to Gin's comment.

Gin turned back to the ice cream seller, "Two persimmon flavoured ice creams, please."

The vendor scooped out the ice cream onto two cones and handed them over. Gin swiftly took out the money and paid again before Rangiku could even reach for her purse. After giving their thanks, the pair left and walked down along the street while eating their dessert.

"Ye know, I ain't poor," Rangiku stated after a while.

"I know," was all Gin answered.

Internally Rangiku sighed. She didn't understand why Gin had asked her out to lunch or why he was treating her.

[I don't get what he's planning.] Rangiku gave up trying to figure it out. [If he wants to spend money, that's fine. Better for me anyways.]

She continued to contently eat her persimmon flavoured ice cream.

[It's pretty good. Not bad, not bad at all] Rangiku smiled as she thought about the taste.

"Want to go shopping?" Gin suddenly asked and snapped Rangiku's attention back to him, "I need to buy a new shirt since Byakuya sliced up mine."

Rangiku replied with a simple, "Sure."

She smiled at the thought of shopping. She did like to buy clothes but did not dare to since she would splurge her money without thought. During the years of being poor, it was a very dangerous habit that she had to beware of. Gin led to a nearby clothing shop and entered with Rangiku.

Upon seeing the rows of clothing, Rangiku immediately dived into the search for better outfits after giving Gin a simple, "I'll be going ahead!"

Seeing Rangiku's enthusiasm for hunting clothes, he couldn't help but smile wryly. He felt that some things never changed for his childhood friend and target of his affection. Without further ado, he also went through the stack of clothes for men to search out some suitable shirts for himself. A while later he had found everything he needed and went over to Rangiku to check up on her situation. A very unsurprising sight entered his eyes. Rangiku had heaped the chosen outfits on her arm and did not seem to have finished yet.

"Scarlet," Gin called out, "Why don't cha first try out tha clothes ya already chose?"

Rangiku stopped for a moment for think and then nodded, "M'kay but…"

[…I don't have anyone to judge my attire.]

Gin immediately knew what Rangiku was thinking about. When they were younger, he often accompanied her during her shopping trips at her request and also judged her compatibility with the outfits she chose. It had influenced him enough that he kept up his fashion sense even afterwards, so he had confidence.

"Go on," he said and gave her a light push into the direction of the changing rooms, "I'll see if they fit ya."

A flash of remembrance flickered through her eyes, delaying her answer by a second.

"Sure," Rangiku answered with a smile and headed for the changing rooms while Gin sat down on the chairs in front of them.

Once Rangiku finished putting on the first outfit, she pushed the curtain aside and stepped in front of Gin. The silver haired man made a sweep of Rangiku's attire and shook his head.

"The pants are fine but the top's no good," he answered with a smile.

Inwardly Gin was cursing himself for being selfish. The top Rangiku wore had a very low-cut neckline. He did not know how Rangiku came to not mind showing her cleavage area but he could not stand it if she would wear something that was more revealing than her usual clothes which were already revealing enough. However, the clothes had fit her perfectly. When his eyes wandered to her neck, he saw the necklace Rangiku was wearing and nostalgia befell him, but he also noticed that the chain seemed somewhat different from his memory.

Rangiku frowned a bit but gave an "okay" and turned around to go and try out the next one but Gin stopped her.

"What happened to ya chain? It looks rather worn out," Gin asked.

Rangiku faced Gin again.

"Me chain? Some time ago it broke during one of the raids and Ruby was so kind t' give me one of her spares to use. Then there was also a small accident with it. The old chain can't be fixed an'more, so I was going t' have an identical one made but ne'er got to it–an' why am I telling ye this?" Rangiku said the last part in an annoyed tone and promptly turned around, entering the cabin.

Rangiku didn't see it, but there were traces of thoughtfulness on Gin face after her answer.

She tried out the next one and when she showed Gin, he shook his head again, so she tried once more only for Gin to shake his head the third time. A feeling of wanting him to approve her choices arose. Upon the fifth time Rangiku started to become apprehensive.

[Now the skirt's not working with me? What am I doing wrong?]

Rangiku felt something was off when she saw him and realized a moment later – Gin wasn't smiling anymore.

[He must be pretty serious about choosing my clothes.]

Rangiku was somewhat taken aback but a feeling of wanting his approval grew stronger combined with a competitive spirit. She went through the rack of clothes she brought with her and tried on several but was dissatisfied until she found a certain piece. Upon wearing it and checking herself in the mirror, she got a good feeling and decided that it was good enough to show Gin but there was still something missing. Rangiku looked around and found a pair of heels she had grabbed earlier to go with her clothes. A smile lit up Rangiku's face as she put them on. She looked at herself once more from top to bottom in the mirror before turning around and pushing the curtain aside to exit the changing room.

Gin, who had become a little bored as Rangiku was taking longer than usual, had his head leaning on his hand and his arm propped up on the chair's armrest while waiting. At the sound of the curtain swishing he looked up and his usually slit eyes widened and light fell onto the usually concealed clear sky blue irises. His breath hitched at the sight in front of him.

It was a beautiful midnight blue evening dress that highlighted her eye colour. The dress flowed in slight waves until they covered her ankles while perfectly accentuating her curves. The cloth split from her mid-thigh on the left, letting her soft white leg peek through the gap. Her cleavage area was not too revealing but enough so that her ring could be seen on her chest hanging on its chain. The dress was sleeveless, showing off Rangiku's beautiful arms and the halter went around her neck leaving her back open which Gin could see from the mirror behind her.

Gin gulped slightly at the scene. Rangiku had outdone herself this time and he was in shock. His mind had gone blank.

Similarly Rangiku was also shocked but not because of herself – it was Gin's eyes that shocked her. It was her first time seeing him open his eyes more than usual and also her first time witnessing the sky blue irises for herself. She froze in her movements as she remembered other facts and observations she had made about Gin which pointed towards her childhood friend.

After silence kept the pair company for a while, Rangiku was the first to regain her senses. She remembered why she was there and started frowning.

[Why isn't he saying anything?]

"Gin…how is it?" Rangiku hesitantly called out to the silent young man in front of her.

Gin still in daze thoughtlessly whispered an answer, "Like a beautiful goddess…"

There was a short pause before Rangiku reacted.

[…Huh? D-did he just say what I thought he said?!]

Rangiku tried to confirm but barely managed to ask, "…Eh, w-what did you just say?"

This time Gin snapped out of his trance and immediately realized what just happened, tried to correct himself which made him stutter as he had not properly recovered yet, "I-I meant you, uh, r-right! It looks great on ya, um, very pretty, t-there's nothin' ta complain…"

In the end Gin only complimented her instead of sounding more neutral which made him drift off into an awkward laugh while rubbing his neck. Rangiku seeing Gin's flustered state and the slight redness on his cheeks, plus hearing his praise, started blushing herself. She gave a small "t-thank you" and also ended up joining the awkward laugh.

#####

The sun had set and the evening arrived which the whole crew of the Ashen Spear was anticipating for. They had all assembled in an inn to do one thing – drink! It was a tradition of theirs to get together and celebrate after each big successful raid. This time it was one of those and thus the sailors gathered once more.

Within the partly lit bar of the inn, the crew spread out to the tables nearby, clustering around the centre where the captain would sit. They had not reserved the inn, but when they enquired, nobody else had reserved it either. The waitress had started giving out the mugs of beer and glasses of alcohol to the crew, but none of them touched it. They were still waiting.

"Pray tell, where's the Cap'n, Scarlet? Ain't he with ye?" a gruff voice resound from behind Rangiku who had chosen a seat next to the centre table.

"Oh Kenpachi, it's you," Rangiku realized when she turned around, "The Cap'n? I haven't seen 'im since I've returned."

"Issat so?" the giant said and turned back to is group again while grumbling with a loud voice, "That guy's late."

"Well, sorry for bein' late, I had some business ta finish up, mate."

Everyone turned towards the owner of the voice who just walked into the bar.

"Took ye long 'nough!" Kenpachi hollered with a grin.

It was Captain Ichimaru who finally arrived and walked towards the centre table rather leisurely. Shouts of people telling him to hurry up resounded through the room and with an "alright, alright" Gin sped up a little.

Once at the centre, the waitress came and gave him a mug of beer. He took it with a simple nod as thanks and immediately got up onto the chair and put his right foot on the table. His grin was ever present and he lifted up his mug.

Meanwhile Rangiku just hazily watched the whole scene and hardly paid attention. Usually she would be rather excited to have drinking buddies while someone else was paying for her, but today she was feeling rather unmotivated. There was a lot on her mind about the things that happened today and she wasn't sure on how to handle them.

[Ugh, I should be enjoying myself right now but every time I see that silver haired guy, I keep getting reminded of this afternoon. The persimmons and the store where he – oh fuck it all. I'm supposed to be drinking and not messing up my mind!]

Rangiku grabbed the glass of wine and drowned it in one go.

"Lass, one more!" Rangiku called out to the waitress who immediately refilled her glass but she drowned it again.

Seeing Rangiku finished her second glass, she refilled it, but Rangiku kept going and in the end the girl left the bottle of wine with Rangiku. The blonde haired female slowed down her drinking but kept an almost constant pace and she didn't seem to be getting drunk any time soon. After a while, Rangiku stood up and joined the table behind her where Kenpachi Grimmjow and Ulquiorra sat.

"Joining us Miss?" Kenpachi greeted Rangiku.

"Ye feeling lonely over there?" Grimmjow snickered.

"Yeah, I need some drinking buddies for the alcohol," Rangiku went along with it.

"Good, good," Kenpachi agreed.

They started talking about various things such as–

"This guy's been ogling the waitress for a while," Grimmjow said while he put his arm around Ulquiorra and pulled him towards the other two.

"I'm not!" Ulquiorra protested but was ignored.

"Eh, issat so?" Rangiku grinned and looked over to the waitress.

She had long burnt orange hair and a pretty face. She seemed to be around 18 years in age.

"Hmm, I see," Rangiku snickered, "she _is_ pretty. So that's your type, eh?"

"Leave me alone, would you?" Ulquiorra grumbled with a very slight tinge of red on his face."

"Mate, ye can't hide it," Kenpachi bellowed with a hearty laugh.

The group aside from the victim started laughing loudly.

"So what's her name?" Rangiku inquired.

"Don't know yet," Grimmjow answered.

"Eh~? Let's call her over then," Rangiku gave an evil grin, "Hey, lass! Would you come here please!"

Ulquiorra who was drinking choked on the liquid and started coughing.

Being called the waitress walked over to the table of four.

"Yes? What would you like me to get?" she asked.

"Would it be fine for you to join us for a bit?" Rangiku asked.

"Eh? Uh–but I can't do that Miss, my chef would fire me if I slacked off," the girl nervously said.

She had men ask her to join them before, but this was the first time that a woman asked her, so she wasn't quite sure on how to respond.

"Nah, don't be shy girl," Rangiku lightly said replied, "Just for a bit stay here with us. You don't need to sit, so your boss won't notice."

"Um… alright," Orihime finally agreed.

Rangiku gave a pleasant smile to the girl.

"So what's your name lass?" Rangiku started.

She could see Ulquiorra start to squirm in his seat and so did the other two men with her.

"My name is Orihime Inoue, Miss," the girl answered.

"'Orihime', it's a good name and it fits you," Rangiku told her.

"Ah, thank you," Orihime smiled.

"My name's Scarlet and this is Kenpachi. Grimmjow and _Ulquiorra_," Rangiku introduced herself and the others.

Ulquiorra jumped a little at having his name mentioned.

"Nice to meet ye," Kenpachi nodded.

"Tis a pleasure," Grimmjow greeted.

At Ulquiorra's turn, he barely managed to get out, "H-hello."

Kenpachi, Grimmjow and Rangiku started laughing at Ulquiorra's unusually timid display.

Orihime on the other hand felt rather confused at the outburst of the three. Once they calmed down, they got the conversation going again.

Rangiku asked, "If you were only allowed to go out with one of the three men, who would you choose?"

Orihime was startled for Rangiku had given her a rather difficult question to answer.

"Um, uh, that kind of question…" she trailed off.

"It's fine," Rangiku shook her head slightly, "It doesn't matter who you choose. It more like a bet for us and your answer's going to decide it."

Relieved that it didn't seem to be because they were hitting on her, Orihime answered seriously, "Um, if I were to choose, I think I would say…hmm… him."

Orihime gestured at the chosen person and the others also followed with their eyes.

"Eh~, ain't that good for ye, Ulquiorra," Kenpachi vigorously laughed.

"Yeah, yeah," Grimmjow agreed.

"Ain't that sweet?" Rangiku teased.

"Umm…" Orihime didn't know what to say.

"Orihime! What are you doing?! Get back to work!" a voice shouted over to them from behind the bar.

Startled, Orihime quickly said "sorry" to the group and gave a bow before returning to the bar side. There the man who shouted told her various things.

Rangiku barely heard him going, "just 'cause you're a newbie doesn't mean I will go easy on your or that you can slack off!"

[I'll need to have a good word with that man later.] Rangiku thought with a frown.

She turned her attention back to Ulquiorra.

"Well, Mr. Lucky. How do you feel?" Rangiku messed around.

"Ugh…" was all she got from him as he started drowning his beer.

As for what happened after that is for another time.

After several discussions and chattering, it finally got to the point on why Rangiku had joined the table in the first place. Her motive wasn't the drinking buddies. Her table had the other female member of the crew, so she wasn't alone, but she needed to hear the opinion of one of the males.

"Say Kenpachi, what do you think of the Cap'n?" Rangiku asked.

"The Cap'n? Well, he's a great man I must say!" Kenpachi responded.

Rangiku shook her head, "That's not what I mean. I mean–was he always like that?"

"Ye mean his current personality? You mean 'cause of the raid?" Kenpachi verified and Rangiku gave a nod.

There was a short silence as Kenpachi thought about it.

"He," Kenpachi finally started, "was already mostly like this when he arrived 'ere but actually I came together with him from the previous ship. Twas a coincidence. I'd 'eard of this ship that valued strength before and tried getting 'ere. On the previous ship he was a lot more 'proper'– almost seems like some nobleman's son, but the years on sea hardened him an' now he's like this.

"The Captain's cruel, sly and dangerous, but he's got 'at habit of protecting everythin he sees as precious to him all alone. He's got guts. Anyon' else he would mercilessly use and slaughter without a secon thought. He ain't got no stopper, ye know?"

After Kenpachi finished Rangiku was thoughtful but she didn't forget to give her thanks.

[So it's like that. Arg, this just brings more mysteries to my mind!] Rangiku complained inwardly.

"Orihime another drink!" Rangiku called out to the orange haired girl.

"Yes, coming!" Orihime quickly came over with a mug of beer.

"Enjoying yourselves?" a voice came from behind her.

Orihime jumped with surprise and almost spilled the content of the mug she was holding onto Rangiku, but was saved by a helping hand.

"Oops, I shouldn't have frightened ya, sorry 'bout that," the owner of the hand said.

It was Gin who had come to see the state of his crew members.

"No, it's fine," Orihime quickly told him and handed over the mug to Rangiku before leaving.

"Don't scare the lass like that," Grimmjow grinned, "or else ye'll be having Ulquiorra at yer throat soon."

Understanding the nuances, Gin looked to Ulquiorra and asked him, "Ya finally got interested in someone?"

Ulqiuorra's head dropped as he responded with a weakly, "Not you too Cap'n…"

Gin laughed and pulled a chair from nearby and joined the group.

"So, whatcha talkin' 'bout?" Gin asked.

"Nothin' much, except for this and that and Ulquiorra's first love," Rangiku sneakily replied.

"I see, I see," he nodded as if he were a wise old man stroking his beard.

"Ugh, stop it," Ulquiorra complained, "I can't take it any more…"

"Gotcha, we'll stop, right?" Gin responded with his usual grin.

The rest nodded enthusiastically.

"Ah, before I forget," Gin started, "I've got something fer ya Scarlet."

He put his hand inside his jacket and pulled out a small box.

"Yer not proposing to her, are you?" Kenpachi joked, saying exactly what the people in the round thought.

"Nah, that's not it," Gin answered.

"Too bad," Grimmjow chuckled and leaned back on his chair.

Gin opened the small box and took out a golden chain.

"This…" Rangiku's eyes went wide.

She was shocked.

"H-how did you–Where did you get this from?" she asked and quickly searched her clothes and pulled out the exact same chain that was broken and bent in various areas.

Gin did not answer her question but instead said, "It's fer you."

"How did you get the exact same chain as mine?" Rangiku was astounded, "I never showed you."

[There's only one way he can know that it's this chain.]

"The ring and chain you have are a pair of a set that was sold several years ago. I recognized the ring, so I got you the correct chain for it," Gin explained.

"But why–?"

"It's the welcome present fer ya," Gin cut her off and motioned for her to turn around, so that he could put it on her.

Timidly Rangiku faced the other way and brushed her hair aside. Gin unfastened the old chain and transferred the ring to the chain and put it around her before clasping it shut. What he didn't tell her was that the set was specially ordered by him and made for him and her when they were young. There wasn't another set like that in the world. It was his chain that he gave her. He had always kept his chain and ring safely tucked away. To him, Rangiku didn't need to know that.

After Gin finished, Rangiku turned towards him and gave him a big hug.

"Thank you," she said, "I really appreciate it. It may be a replacement, but it is a very dear memento of mine, especially the ring and seeing the chain together with it again makes me happy. I won't throw away the old chain though. I'll keep it."

Gin's explanation had given Rangiku doubts but for now she would put them away. Gin on the other hand was surprised at Rangiku's actions and became somewhat unsure on how to react.

"Uh, why don't cha give it to me?" Gin carefully asked, "I could try to get it fixed."

"I once asked and they said that it ain't possible," Rangiku shook her head.

"Don't cha worry about it. I know where I can get it fixed fer ya," Gin reassured her and held out his hand.

After some slight hesitation, Rangiku handed the old chain over.

"You must get it back to me, alright?" Rangiku reminded him and Gin nodded and put it away.

A sudden whistling entered their ears and they turned back to the table.

"I think Imma gonna get sick from the atmosphere," Grimmjow made a puking gesture.

"Dun be like that," Ulquiorra chipped in," Leave 'em lovebirds t' get their business done and then spread the news over t'em mates."

"Are ya gettin' ya revenge now, Ulquiorra?" Gin lightly laughed.

"Ye could've jus' proposed an' gettin' it done with," Ulquiorra scoffed.

"Why don't ye do it then to Orihime?" Rangiku taunted him.

"Alright!" Ulquiorra abruptly stood up and walked over to the orange haired waitress.

[He's drunk.] Rangiku thought with certainty.

"He's drunk," Kenpachi voice their thoughts aloud.

On the other side of the room, they could see Ulquiorra saying something to Orihime and the girl getting considerably flustered.

"Pah!" Rangiku let out, "Looks like the lad's gonna get what he wants."

And they went on drinking until very late.


	6. Chapter Five

A/N: Here's chapter five like I said. I'll be leaving on a one month trip starting next month, so I won't be able to update most likely. If I can, I will, but don't expect anything. I'm not sure, I'll be able to finish up chapter six before I leave. I'll try but I don't feel like I'll make it. For now, enjoy this chapter!

* * *

**Chapter Five**

"My goodness! Ye really need a new pair of clothes, my dear," Rangiku told Rukia and shook her head as she frowned at the current state the young lady was in.

"After staying for a few days in this… _room_, I am rather unsurprised at my lacking appearance.

"And we even went to the trouble of washing them and cleaning you up, but I guess tis no use?" Rangiku sighed.

"As I have been denied leave from this room, I suppose there is nothing that can be done," Rukia also shook her head and sighed in agreement.

"Since we're docked at the port right now, I could go and get you some things – though I would've prefer you to accompany me but I'll have to do without…" Rangiku mused over her options.

[If Momo were here, things would be easier. They aren't very different in body size.] Rangiku thought and the feeling of sadness and guilt welled up inside her again.

"Scarlet... I must apologize... about Ruby," Rukia hesitantly spoke.

"What's there t' apologize 'bout?" Rangiku grinned and leaned against the wall, "It went rather fast but it can't be helped. I did get the feeling that one day we would have t' part."

"No, I was not pertaining to that," Rukia denied and shook her head, "I… I have a letter from Ruby to you. Though she requested me to give it to you only tomorrow, I shall hand it to you now."

Rukia stood up and went over to one of the shelves and took out a small light brown envelope and pressed it into Rangiku's palm.

"You can read it now or tomorrow how Ruby had intended it for you to be read," Rukia said with a soft smile, "And please buy me a new hat and a pair of shoes as well."

Any negative feelings Rangiku was having vanished with Rukia's last sentence. It was too random that she temporarily got stunned before breaking out into a laugh.

"Alright," she agreed, "I'll make sure to coordinate the perfect outfit for you.

"Deduct the price from this," Rukia added and took out a small necklace, "Sell it and the expenses should be covered."

Rangiku shook her head in disapproval, "Keep it. There's no need for it. Consider it my thank you."

Both girls clarified a few more things on the topic of clothes and then Rangiku finally left for the deck in search of Gin. She needed his permission to leave the ship or at least inform him.

"Captain!" Rangiku called out once she saw him.

The silver haired man turned around to face the approaching woman.

"Whatcha want?" he asked with his usual grin.

"I need t' go in the city t' buy some stuff," Rangiku answered.

"Again? Yesterday wasn't 'nough fer ya?" Gin questioned.

"Have a problem with it?" Rangiku challenged.

"Nah, jus' saying."

"I'll get going then!" Rangiku informed quickly and left the ship for the city centre.

Gin gave a nod before turning back to the group of six surrounding him. For the appointment he had today, he chose only a handful of people to accompany him. Though it was not necessary to bring people with him, he always thought that it would be nice for the people who knew each other to meet every once in a while instead of staying on the ship. The members of his group were Karin, Kenpachi, Jinta, Soifon, Tessai and Kensei. Originally he was going to let the doctor, Retsu Unohana come with him, but she abstained from it.

"Shall we get going too?" Gin suggested but it was more like an order, "We have some business t' attend to as well."

"Aye, Cap'n!" the group answered enthusiastically.

Only the few who were selected would know where they were headed for this time and what kind of business their captain had meant. It was something that happened occasionally and although most of the crew knew about this "business", not everyone knew when this business occurred each time and who would be allowed to go with the captain. It was in itself a meeting between two "old friends" if one looked at it from the outside, but in reality it was a meeting between two men who shared the same secret with yet different circumstances and who decided to partner up to exchange information for their own interest while trying to keep the other in check. In the past, their heads would have rolled if anyone else had found out their real identities. However, now that both were no longer under such threats, why would they keep up those meetings? Their current relationship wasn't exactly that of friends nor that of companions – they were some time ago though – instead the only thing they still shared was the secret of their identities. In the end they themselves probably didn't know either but may say that they just met for the heck of it. Still they wouldn't be able to deny that the current main usefulness was mostly the information exchange they held.

Inside a tavern of the port city a group of six were already waiting for the aforementioned group. Leading them was a white haired young man of around nineteen. He may have seemed rather young to be a leader, but his talent for it and hard work had brought him to the position he was in today.

"Ya here already? On time as ever, eh?" a carefree voice entered their range.

"Shut up Gin and you're as late as ever," replied the leader of the group.

"Well, don't be such a prick Toshiro," Gin answered the grumbling white haired boy.

The young man called Toshiro glared at the similarly white haired man in front of him. They were only a couple of years apart in age, but in maturity, Toshiro considered himself to be more advanced than Gin. Without waiting for their captains to settle down, the people accompanying both side split off into different groups and sat down on the tables nearby.

"Let's order something, shall we?" Gin suggested and went on to call the waiter.

A young boy came up to the table and Gin order a mug of beer and Toshiro did the same. They didn't talk much while they waited and only exchanged pleasantries. Once the waiter brought their drinks, they finally started talking about what they came for.

"Well, how was your recent heist. I hear Byakuya was defeated?" Toshiro asked.

Gin nodded in response before continuing to explain, "We got him as he let his guard down with a bit a trickery. One of my men did a good job in discovering the trap he laid out."

"How rare of you praise someone," Toshiro remarked.

"She was a good addition to the crew," Gin nodded in reply.

"'She'? So it was a woman – must have a good head – and 'was'?" Toshiro echoed.

"She quit," Gin stated.

Toshiro rose an eyebrow, "What did you do?"

"Why are ya just simply assuming that I did something to drive her out~?" Gin shook his head.

"So ye didn't?" Toshiro simply ignored Gin's indignant tone.

"Apparently she had other plans already. 'Least her friend stayed and she's doing pretty well too," Gin said and propped up his elbow on the table.

He leaned his head on his hand before asking his own question, "So whatcha doing yerself?"

"I found a certain diary that supposedly leads to a forgotten treasure, but I need someone to decipher the code and language used. Can't do it by myself – it would take too long as my vocabulary's limited, plus I don't even know the full code," Toshiro sighed, "Tis just parts of it that I have seen somewhere."

"What kinda code and language is it?" Gin asked in curiosity and took a sip from his glass.

"It's a code that those in the higher echelons use – I can probably get it from one of the old nobles' or the big general's house but it's going to be difficult," Toshiro elaborated, "And the language is the Nameless Language from what I could see."

Gin frowned a bit though his usual grin didn't waver in the slightest.

"Nameless Language, ya say?" Gin chuckled darkly, "It's 'bout _that_ treasure, ain't it?"

Toshiro gulped down some of his drink before replying, "Yeah, ye guessed right."

"I ain't gonna be much help to ya , since even I have forgotten large parts of it," Gin shook his head, "Don't even think of askin' fer my help."

Toshiro didn't answer and the two men drank their beer in silence for a while. After some time, Gin was the first to break the silence. An idea had popped up in his mind during his silent contemplation.

"Ya know how I told ya 'bout the girl with a good brain?" Gin started.

Toshiro somewhat startled from the suddenness only tilted his head in confusion before remembering the earlier conversation part and nodding.

"She's called the Ruby Princess – have you heard of her?" Gin continued.

"Not really," Toshiro's tone indicated that he wanted to know what Gin was getting at.

"Maybe you're more familiar with the name Crimson Blades?" Gin tried again and this time Toshiro nodded.

"Yeah, I heard of the Crimson Blades. Someone who is very skilled at the swords and tends to leave a bloodbath due to the number of opponents killed. A fearsome pirate some say," Toshiro recounted the rumours he heard.

Gin nodded but added more, "Did ya know that Crimson Blades consists of two beauties who each are referred to as Crimson Blade or their nicknames. One of them is called Scarlet Goddess and the other is called Ruby Princess."

"Ye mean that you had both of them on your crew for a while?!" Toshiro was surprised at the detailed information he was receiving.

Gin nodded and continued, "Scarlet stayed while Ruby left."

"I get it but why're ye telling me this?" Toshiro asked as he started to get impatient.

Gin would have loved to smirk but only did so inwardly as he had fully caught Toshiro's attention.

"The Ruby Princess is very knowledgeable in such things. She is known for her scholarly level of knowledge and vast amount of information on the royal history. She knows the Nameless Language or where to get the code. However, she only takes on requests and jobs that interest her. She doesn't seem t' care much 'bout money," Gin explained nonchalantly.

Though Momo had never said a word about knowing the Nameless Language or the code, Gin knew that from her background, she would most definitely have to know both – if not then at least one of them and the other she would know where to get. Unaware of these calculations, Toshiro expression changed. His composed face lit up with interest.

"Continue," Toshiro urged Gin on.

"If you want to find her you need to go a certain tavern, where she'll likely be headed towards and stay 'round fer some time."

Toshiro frowned, "And where's that?"

Gin indicated for Toshiro to come closer. Toshiro leaned over the tabled and Gin whispered some things into Toshiro's ear which made him widen his eyes. After saying what needed to be said in secret, Gin leaned back and so did Toshiro.

Gin added, "You might want ta collect a bit more information on her before going off ta find her and rope her into yer crew. She'll definitely join. She did mention ta me once that she wanted ta get on your ship. Ya just need to act like yer trying ta persuade her."

Toshiro nodded, "I'll heed your advice. So.. what d'ye want in exchange?"

Gin raised an eyebrow at the question. Originally he just wanted to get Toshiro and Ruby – or rather Momo together and observe a rather interesting reunion. If he could get something else for it in addition, there was no reason he should not take up that offer.

"Hmm.." Gin thought about what he should ask for in exchange when he remembered the little guest he still had on his ship.

"D'ya know anyone who could bring a prisoner back ta Byakuya?" Gin questioned.

This time it was Toshiro's turn to raise an eyebrow. He was not expecting such a request. He thought about it before deciding to consult his crew members.

"Give me a few minutes," Toshiro said while standing up and called his group together.

"Sorry for breaking your reunion time but does anyone remember if Ichigo is coming to this port or not within the next few days?" Toshiro asked.

A blonde haired man with a white and green striped head answered, "Hmm… I heard that he's already here. Yoruichi actually saw Orihime the other day working at a bar."

"Don't just push it all on me Kisuke," a purple haired woman elbowed the man she called Kisuke, "You were there as well."

Kisuke gave a light chuckle as a response.

"Eh? Brother's here?" a teenage girl named Yuzu said surprised, "I've gotta tell Karin 'bout this!"

With that she ran off to the other side where Gin's group was. Toshiro looked at the remain members who were a short blonde woman – but she looked like a young girl – and tall blonde man called Hiyori and Shinji respectively. The pair shook their heads to indicate that they didn't know anything.

Toshiro nodded in understanding and turned back to Gin.

"Ichigo's in town. One of his crew members was seen the other day so he should be docked somewhere at the port," Toshiro relayed the information he gathered.

"That guy's here?" Gin chuckled, "Well, that might actually work out."

"I'll try t' set up a meeting between you and him maybe today or tomorrow. I'll send you a messenger once it's set," Toshiro suggested and Gin agreed.

"Alright, then we should get going. Our drinks are empty as well," Gin said and stood up and stretched out his hand.

Toshiro followed up with a "yes" and shook Gin's outstretched hand.

"We'll be even after this," Toshiro finalized and his group left first.

Gin's group also left afterwards.

#####

After taking the whole afternoon to find the right clothes for Rukia, Rangiku returned to the Ashen Spear with three bags.

[I'm usually such a shopping maniac but I was able to hold myself back this time!] Rangiku happily laughed inwardly as she looked at the amount of things she bought.

A big smile filled her face as she readily went down the stairs to Rukia's room and opened the door with a bang.

"I'm back!" Rangiku said loudly with a grin.

Her gaze swept over the room filled with shelves, boxes, kitchen utensils and other things. During the earlier days after Rukia got captured, Rangiku and Momo had brought in various things into the storage room where Rukia was supposed to stay. There were no more free rooms to be used which was why Rukia would have to stay there. Additionally Rukia was a prisoner, so this was the best place she would get or so had Gin argued even when Rangiku and Momo had proposed to let Rukia stay with them in their room. They brought in a hammock, so that Rukia wouldn't have to sleep on the floor and a blanket to cover herself and other practical things. Rukia had been very grateful for those and the three girls had bonded quite a bit.

However, Rangiku couldn't find a trace of Rukia at the moment. She stepped into the dim room and looked around. As she got nearer to the hanging hammock, she saw a small part of the blanket peek out. Rangiku found Rukia lying there and sleeping rather peacefully.

[Did she get bored and went to bed?] Rangiku wondered.

She gave a light push to Rukia's shoulder.

"Hey Rukia, wake up," Rangiku told the sleeping maiden.

With an unsatisfied face, Rukia finally woke up and glared at Rangiku.

"What is it?" Rukia asked rather grumpily.

"I've brought the clothes back," Rangiku replied with an unperturbed smile.

Rukia's eyes brightened up.

"Very well, I shall get up and receive your present now," she jokingly answered.

Rangiku laughed and watched Rukia get up from the hammock. She remembered how Rukia had quite a hard time at first because she was not used to it. She almost fell down a couple of times. Had Momo and Rangiku not been there to stabilize her, she probably would have.

[Maybe she actually fell down when we weren't there.] Rangiku giggled at the thought of it.

"What are you laughing about?" Rukia asked with eying the female pirate with suspicion.

"Nothing my dear," Rangiku brushed Rukia off and went on to change the topic, "Let's have a look at what I brought, 'kay?"

Without waiting for an answer, Rangiku started pulling out the clothes she had bought and laid them over the hammock. Rukia could only go with the flow and push her previous thoughts aside. With a scrutinizing eye, Rukia went over the pieces Rangiku laid out.

"You have a good eye for fashion," Rukia commented satisfied.

Starting with the one on the left most, Rukia put them on. Rangiku stood by the door and made sure that there were no unpleasant visits.

The first was a knee-length gown which was white from top to bottom and almost made Rukia look like a bridesmaid.

"Oh, this is a good one. Ye look like an angel!" Rangiku complimented.

"It seems good but I wish I had a mirror, " Rukia sighed.

Rangiku thought about it for a bit and then suddenly cried out, "Ah! I know!"

With quick steps she left the room and left behind a confused Rukia. After a while Rangiku came back with a big sized mirror.

"Where did you get that from?" Rukia asked dumbfounded.

"I got this from the Cap'n's room – saw it a while ago and jus' remembered it," Rangiku said with a victorious smile.

Rukia returned a smile as well and gave her thanks half-jokingly, "I am grateful for your help Scarlet."

"My pleasure," Rangiku replied and put up the mirror against the wall.

Rukia turned around in front of the mirror and observed her appearance. She had cleaned herself up while Rangiku was gone. With the new clothes, she was feeling rather fresh and well compared to before.

Together with the white dress which had a ribbon on the back, Rangiku had bought a wide-brimmed hat and a pair of shoes – high-heeled of course.

"Very pretty," Rangiku nodded her head in satisfaction while talking.

Rukia was in agreement. She like the outfit.

"Let's try the next one," Rukia said and started taking off her clothes once more.

The next set was mix of soft colors of blue, orange and green for the shirt and beige pants. It was a rather boyish outfit.

"I thought it might come in handy in case you need to dress up casually," Rangiku explained.

"But is this not boy's clothing?" Rukia was rather doubtful.

"No, tis for girls," Rangiku denied and took out a large brown hair clip and a pair of brown dress shoes.

"With the hair clip, you'll put your hair up at the back," Rangiku explained and showed it to Rukia.

The black haired girl nodded, "I see."

Because the girls were preoccupied with coordinating Rukia's clothes, they didn't hear the nearing footsteps but only once that person knocked on the door and startled the girls, did they realize.

"Just a sec!" Rangiku called out and both, her and Rukia, quickly tried to clean up and return everything into their bags.

However, the one knocking only waited for a while and started opening the door. The girls were not ready yet and the whole scene was revealed to the one entering the room.

[It's the Captain!] Rangiku nervously realized.

Gin on the other hand only raised an eyebrow at the frozen pair and went on with his business with his usual strange smile.

"I'm just here to tell ya that ye might get to meet your brother sooner than I thought – that is, if the man we'll meet tonight decides ta take ya on his ship. Maybe ya should dress up a little," Gin told Rukia and lazily pointed over to the pile of clothes with his last sentence.

After that he turned to Rangiku, "We'll be eating out tonight with the whole crew, so get ready before we leave."

Without waiting for an answer, Gin left the room with quick strides.

The suddenness left both girls stunned and they stayed that way for a while until the information sunk in.

"That means we're goin' to the same place," Rangiku concluded.

"Should I really dress up?" Rukia wondered.

"Perhaps?" Rangiku herself was unsure on whether Gin had been joking or not.

"..."

"..."

... ...

…

..

.

#####

Prior to the exchange between Gin and the girls – it was around five o'clock in the late afternoon when a short blonde girl stood in front of the Ashen Spear. Her red bright outfit was rather eye catching together with the contrast to her rather yellowish hair. With a displeased face she went up the connecting plank onto the ship and was greeted by the sight of a few men glaring back at her.

"Hey Missy, what ye doin' 'ere?" Grimmjow came over once he saw her, "Are ye lost?"

"Get me your captain. I'm 'ere t'give him a message," the girl answered with a gruff tone.

Grimmjow raised an eyebrow at the attitude and was about to simply grab the girl and drop her off the ship, however, Kenpachi came over and stopped him.

"Hiyori, jus' go over to the Captain's cabin and knock while announcing your name. He'll let you in," Kenpachi told her as he recognized the girl or rather woman from this morning.

Hiyori nodded and passed the two men.

"Whozat girl?" Grimmjow grumbled in irritation.

"A crew member of the Ice Ring. They an' the Cap'n got business to do. Jus' leave her alone," Kenpachi explained, "She might actually be the same age as ye."

"Huh?" Grimmjow's expression went dumb.

Kenpachi's last sentence had shoved him off track.

"That little girl is?" was all he could say before returning to his post with his previous irritation all blown away.

In the meanwhile Hiyori had already reached the door and knocked three times on it while calling out her name and purpose of visit.

"Come in," a low voice told her and she entered.

Inside there was only one person sitting behind his desk with some papers on front of him and a pen in his hand which he was returning to its holder. Captain Ichimaru seemed to have been working on something.

"Welcome Hiyori, Captain Toshiro works pretty fast," Gin remarked and folded his now free hands together then leaned back on his chair.

Hiyori did not return the pleasantries but went straight to the point instead, "I'm here to deliver a message regarding yer meeting with Captain Kurosaki."

Gin understood why she was acting rather apprehensive with him. Hiyori had always seemed to harbour a certain dislike towards him together with her long time friend Shinji – quite a number of other people seemed to dislike Gin or be uncomfortable with him as well. Gin guessed that Hiyori must not have been very delighted to be chosen to bring him the message.

"Deliver your message then," Gin gave a nod for her to continue.

"Your meeting will be at the same place as today this evening at eight o'clock. He'll be bringing his whole crew because they've planned to have a get-together and suggested that ye should do the same. 'Just to meet old acquaintances' he said," Hiyori told Gin.

Gin thought about Hiyori's words for a while and gave a nod, "Alright, tell him I'll do that."

Hiyori nodded and turned around to leave but stopped and turned back with some last words, "By the way, Cap'n Toshiro said that ye better not be late."

After saying all that she needed to, she left the room while leaving Gin with a bemused feeling.

"Guess I should go an' tell her," Gin told himself and stood up.

He decided that it would be good for him to take a short break and took his time on his way to Rukia's temporary room.


End file.
